Yang Min-hyuk, Park Seung-soo, and Lee Gi-hyuk, who sparked controversy with remarks on military service exemption, were ultimately mentioned at the National Assembly's inspection hearing as well, with calls for an ethics committee session.

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Yang Min-hyuk (KVC Westerlo), Park Seung-soo (Newcastle United), and Lee Gi-hyuk (Gangwon FC), who drew public outrage through interviews or social media (SNS) posts regarding military service immediately after winning the gold medal in men's football at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games, were ultimately mentioned during the National Assembly's inspection hearing.

Lim O-gyeong (Rep.), a member of the Democratic Party of Korea on the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly, pressed Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, at the committee's inspection hearing held at the National Assembly on the 21st, stating, "There were professional players who participated in the Asian Games for personal gain," and asking, "Has an ethics committee session been held regarding the issue that sparked public outrage?"

Lim O-gyeong (Rep.) stated, "I will name them directly. Yang Min-hyuk made remarks in an interview, Park Seung-soo posted on SNS wearing a discharge cap, and Lee Gi-hyuk also mentioned military service exemption. Professional baseball players were also completely defeated by Japanese amateur teams." He added, "I share the public's view that military service exemption for Asian Games should be abolished. In future Asian Games where professional players participate, athletes from the second or third divisions should compete instead."

Following this, Lim O-gyeong (Rep.) emphasized, "I believe strict procedures are necessary regarding the several sports that caused issues. It is not too late now. I urge the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee to hold an ethics committee session and request these sports federations and athletes to convene a disciplinary committee again. This is stated based on the committee's own authority." Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, replied, "We will do so."

On the other hand, regarding ethics and education for all athletes before the Asian Games, Yoo Seung-min (Chairman) explained, "We conduct ethics and character education for athletes and explain relevant guidelines in detail before tournament participation, but there are differences by sport. In particular, baseball and football were not sports that entered the athlete village, so there were limitations."

Regarding claims for the complete abolition of military service exemption for Asian Games, he added, "I believe it should be appropriately revised overall, reflecting the voices of amateur athletes as well. I think we should approach carefully the issue of qualifications being stripped away due to some players."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original