SEOUL — South Korea's government plans to review its long-standing military service exemption for athletes after celebrations by the men's soccer team at the Asian Games sparked public backlash. The controversy followed South Korea's victory over host Japan in the final, after which three players — including captain Lee Gi-hyuk — were criticized for openly celebrating securing exemptions, with Lee holding up his gold medal and declaring he was "not going to the military." South Korean men are required to complete between 18 and 21 months of active military service before age 28, though Asian Games champions and Olympic medal winners of any color are exempt except for basic training lasting less than a month.
Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young called Lee's comments "utterly immature" and said the system, in place for more than 50 years, "will inevitably have to be scaled back." Lee has since apologized for his remarks. "It is true that the system has contributed to helping outstanding artists and athletes maintain and develop their abilities," Choi said at a National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing. "However, the values attached to fairness and public perceptions of military service have changed. I agree that the system should be comprehensively reviewed once again."
The current framework grants exemptions only to Olympic medalists finishing third or better and to Asian Games gold medalists, with more than 80% of those benefits concentrated in the Asian Games. South Korean athletes secured 39 golds, 43 silvers and 68 bronze medals at this year's Asian Games, and the distribution of exemptions has drawn renewed scrutiny.
Cho Kye-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, questioned Choi during the hearing and said the incident "left young people with a serious sense of unfairness." Cho argued that winning a world championship in any sport is harder than winning the Asian Games, yet world champions in other sports receive no service benefit, adding, "Of the 44 people who qualified for the benefit at this Asian Games, 36 were in soccer and baseball."