Public backlash grows over players' candid comments about military service benefits

'Do we really need to exempt Asian Games gold medalists?'

Only three countries — including South Korea — grant military exemptions for Asian Games gold

Park Seung-su of the South Korea under-23 national football team poses in a military discharge cap on SNS shortly after winning the Asian Games gold medal. [Park Seung-su SNS]
Park Seung-su of the South Korea under-23 national football team poses in a military discharge cap on SNS shortly after winning the Asian Games gold medal. [Park Seung-su SNS]

"I didn't think medals or trophies mattered. There was the reward of a military exemption, so I think I played with only that in mind." — Yang Min-hyeok (Beerschot)

On Saturday, South Korea's men's football team took the field with a single desire: to win at all costs. It was not out of rivalry with Japan, nor from a will to claim a fourth consecutive Asian Games title. It was because a gold medal meant exemption from military service. Fueled by that motivation, the under-23 side coached by Lee Min-seong defeated Japan 1-0 in the final, with Eom Ji-seong (Swansea City) scoring the decisive goal in the second half to clinch the gold.

The joy of victory was short-lived. Careless remarks from players openly celebrating their military exemption have put the benefit itself under scrutiny. Team captain Lee Gi-hyeok (Gangwon) held up his gold medal with a broad smile during a post-match interview and declared, "I'm not going to the army."

Yang Min-hyeok (Beerschot), who also started in the Japan final, said he "played with only the military exemption in mind." Park Seung-su of Premier League club Newcastle United, who has not yet served, posted a photo of himself wearing a military discharge cap on SNS.

The players' remarks have pushed public sentiment — already at a tipping point over military service exemptions for professional athletes — in an increasingly negative direction.

South Korea operates an arts and sports military service alternative system that allows individuals who have contributed to the nation's prestige or cultural advancement to fulfill their service obligation through work in their respective fields rather than active duty. In sports, athletes who win at least a bronze medal at the Olympics or a gold medal at the Asian Games must complete three weeks of basic military training and 544 hours of community service using their athletic skills over a 34-month period — an arrangement that amounts in effect to a full exemption.

For athletes whose careers peak before their 30s, the mandatory service obligation can be a serious burden. As a result, players facing enlistment are strongly motivated to win medals at international competitions.

Football and baseball — sports in which South Korea has won four and five consecutive Asian Games titles, respectively — field their strongest professional rosters at the Games, driven in large part by the military benefit. While competing nations typically send amateur or under-21 players, South Korea deploys full professionals, raising longstanding questions about competitive fairness.

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min speaks at a press conference wrapping up South Korea's performance at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held Sunday at Korea House in Nagoya, Japan. [Yonhap]
Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min speaks at a press conference wrapping up South Korea's performance at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held Sunday at Korea House in Nagoya, Japan. [Yonhap]

The deeper problem is that in a divided nation where military service is one of the four fundamental duties of citizenship, public sensitivity on the issue runs high — and remarks by some players have intensified criticism of the exemption system itself. The perceived value and prestige of Asian Games medals has also been declining in recent years, fueling accusations that the benefit amounts to an excessive privilege.

Among countries with mandatory conscription, very few offer such sweeping benefits for Olympic or Asian Games medals. Taiwan and Iran are among the only others that reduce the military burden for athletes who win medals at international competitions such as the Asian Games or the Olympics.

Countries including Israel, Turkey, Austria, Finland, Switzerland and Denmark do not grant automatic military exemptions for medal-winning athletes, instead making accommodations that allow them to continue competing while fulfilling their service. Singapore offers only a deferral of enlistment for as long as possible.

As the controversy grew, the players issued apologies one after another.

Lee Gi-hyeok returned to South Korea with the team through Incheon International Airport on Sunday and apologized, saying, "As captain, I should have thought about the weight of my words before speaking. I did not take the duty of national defense lightly." Yang Min-hyeok posted on SNS, saying his meaning "was miscommunicated — I meant that the military benefit was one of several motivations I had to achieve a better result."

Park Seung-su took down the photo and explained, "The joy and excitement of winning the gold medal was so overwhelming that I posted the photo without thinking deeply about what the cap represented." He added that he had "no intention of mocking those serving in the military or taking their sacrifice lightly."

The Korea Football Association also moved to contain the fallout, issuing a deep apology "to the many citizens and active-duty service members who were disappointed and hurt by the careless words and interviews of some players."

A sports industry official said that while governing bodies such as the Korea Football Association have a responsibility to monitor their players' conduct, "the bigger problem is the reality that these players — adults and professional athletes in name — did not recognize the issue until it became a controversy."


carrier@heraldcorp.com