South Korea's under-23 football team captain Lee Gi-hyuk has apologised after publicly celebrating that winning gold at the Asian Games meant he would be exempt from compulsory military service. His comments, echoed by teammates Yang Min-hyuk of Tottenham and Park Seung-soo of Newcastle, have triggered a public backlash and may accelerate government plans to scrap the long-standing exemption for athletes and artists.
Public outcry over exemption boasts
The exemption, offered to all South Korean podium-toppers at the Asian Games, allows them to skip 18 to 21 months of mandatory service, which must normally be completed before age 35. The public outcry was driven by the majority of able-bodied South Koreans who do not receive such benefits, as well as those who view conscription as a duty to be honoured rather than a hardship to avoid.
In his apology, Lee said: "I got caught up in the happiness, adrenaline and excitement of the moment. I am deeply sorry to the fans who are currently fulfilling their military duty, as well as to all those who sincerely supported us."
Defence ministry review
The South Korean Ministry of National Defence was already reviewing plans to completely abolish special sports exemptions, and Lee's post-match remarks are likely to accelerate the process. A ministry official stated: "Ultimately, we have plans to cut back or scrap the supplementary service, including one designed for artists and athletes, and reflect it in the basic outline for defence reforms. From the perspective of the defence ministry, we are deeply sorry for the remarks made by some people in the sports industry."
Despite the exemption, the gold medallists will still have to complete three weeks of basic training and 544 hours of community service. Given their high profiles and ill-advised boasting, Football Daily suspects these recruits can look forward to no end of barked orders, miles of marching on the drill square and an unnaturally high allocation of cleaning duties in the latrine.
