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Amidst the uncontrollable spread of the military service exemption controversy triggered by the inappropriate conduct of some players after winning gold medals at the Asian Games, the head of the competent authority, the Military Manpower Administration, also strongly expressed his will to improve the system. As voices calling for the reduction and abolition of the system have emerged daily from across government ministries and the political sphere, the military service exemption system has effectively reached a crossroads regarding its survival.
Military Manpower Administration Director Hong So-young stated at the National Assembly Defense Committee’s state audit held on the 12th at the Government Daejeon Complex that she “finds it very regrettable and unfortunate as the Military Manpower Administration Director” regarding the inappropriate conduct of some players, adding that she is “taking seriously the sense of loss felt by young people fulfilling their military service and the voices of citizens demanding system improvement.” She also clearly drew a line on the need to improve the military service exemption system, including artistic and athletic personnel, stating that she “shares the same opinion as the Ministry of National Defense.”
The atmosphere is unusual. It has spread beyond the level of a simple long-term task to a hardline current advocating for a comprehensive re-examination or cancellation of the exemption benefits for medalists at this 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Following People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, who opened the discussion by saying, “The time has come to abolish the ‘gold medal military exemption’ privilege at the Asian Games. We should consider abolishing it starting from this Asian Games,” strong statements from heads of relevant ministries followed one after another at the state audit site.
Previously, on the 7th, at the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s state audit, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hui-young officially confirmed that “values regarding fairness and perspectives on military service have changed,” adding, “Naturally, it must proceed in the direction of reduction. We will consult with the Ministry of National Defense, including the possibility of abolishing the system.” On the same day, Ministry of National Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol also firmly stated at the Defense Committee’s state audit that “the goal of the Ministry of National Defense is to gradually reduce military service exemptions and ultimately abolish them.” The Ministry of National Defense has also officially formalized its policy in regular briefings to reflect the reduction and abolition of artistic and athletic personnel in the basic defense reform plan, citing the sharp decline in military manpower resources and fairness.
The direct cause that pushed the exemption system, maintained for over half a century, to the brink was the reckless conduct of some players on the Won In-eun (CEO) team. Statements such as “I won’t go to the army” and “I played only looking at getting an exemption,” along with posts featuring discharge caps, poured out in the mixed zone and on SNS immediately after winning the Asian Games final on the 3rd, provoked fierce outrage from young people diligently fulfilling their military service obligations. Foreign media outlets, including the UK’s ‘The Telegraph,’ Japan’s ‘Ronspo,’ and China’s ‘Sohu.com,’ also uniformly published critical reports stating that the value of gold medals had been reduced to a means of obtaining military exemption.
With the reduction of supplementary service personnel entering the final countdown due to the depletion of active duty conscription resources caused by the population cliff, and with the Military Manpower Administration Director also officially stating that he would seriously accept the national sense of loss and demands for system improvement, the aftermath surrounding the military service exemption system is expected to intensify further.
Meanwhile, questions regarding the introduction of a female conscription system were also raised at the state audit on this day. Hong (Commissioner) responded that “the official position is that the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Manpower Administration are not currently reviewing it,” adding, “Given that this is an issue with significant social impact, it is most important to gradually increase the proportion of female officers while forming social discussion and national consensus, rather than introducing it abruptly.” Regarding the completion of active duty service by all members of BTS (BTS), he evaluated that it “contributed greatly to enhancing the fairness of military service and public trust.”
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*This content was translated by AI.View Original
