Lawmakers Kim Byung-joo and Yoo Yong-won call for reduction or abolition of arts and sports exemptions

Park Seung-su of the under-23 men's football national team wears a military discharge cap in a social media photo posted immediately after winning a gold medal at the Asian Games. [Park Seung-su SNS]
Park Seung-su of the under-23 men's football national team wears a military discharge cap in a social media photo posted immediately after winning a gold medal at the Asian Games. [Park Seung-su SNS]

Ruling and opposition lawmakers are speaking with one voice on the need to overhaul the military service exemption system for arts and sports personnel, following a controversy sparked by remarks from members of the men's football national team after winning gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Byung-joo said Tuesday on BBS Radio's "Jeong Hye-seung's Morning Journal" that the military exemption system "needs to be reorganized now — it is a demand of the times," adding that the declining population has caused a sharp drop in the pool of eligible conscripts, making the current system difficult to sustain.

Kim explained that when the system was established in 1973, promoting the nation's international standing was an urgent priority. "Now, young people are enhancing the country's reputation across every field," he said. "There is probably no group that has done more for the country's image than BTS, for example."

He noted that even BTS, despite public calls for an exemption, fulfilled their military obligations — and returned to promote Korea's image at an even higher level. "There are fairness concerns, and it would be difficult to abolish the exemption system all at once, so a phased reduction is needed," he said.

On the question of a phased approach, Kim pointed to existing disparities: the exemption currently applies heavily to the arts and sports sectors, but within the arts, classical musicians qualify while popular singers do not, raising equity concerns.

Min Hong-chul, a Democratic Party lawmaker on the National Assembly's Defense Committee, also said Monday on Facebook that "the time has come to abolish or drastically scale back the military service exemptions granted for sports and entertainment."

People Power Party Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said in a statement that "the national team jersey is not a free pass to avoid military service," adding that exemptions serving and discharged soldiers cannot accept as fair are difficult to justify on the grounds of national prestige alone.

Park added that eligibility criteria should be redesigned based on the competitive level and international standing of each sport, and that if the system is retained, the corresponding service obligations and public responsibilities must also be strengthened.

People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won said Monday on the same BBS Radio program that the 22nd National Assembly's Defense Committee had already debated exemptions for arts and sports, and that he personally believed "it is now time to move toward abolition." He said he planned to raise the issue during the upcoming parliamentary audit.

Reducing the scope of competitions and sports eligible for exemptions can be done through a revision of the enforcement decree of the Military Service Act alone. However, abolishing the exemption system itself would require amending the Military Service Act.

The controversy began after South Korea's men's football team defeated Japan in the final on Saturday. Team captain Lee Gi-hyeok of Gangwon said in an official post-match interview, "I'm not going to the military," while starting forward Yang Min-hyeok of Beerschot said he "played the entire tournament with just the one thing in mind — the military exemption."

Park Seung-su of English Premier League club Newcastle United apologized after drawing criticism for posting a photo of himself wearing a military discharge cap despite not having served. The image was condemned as inappropriate given the feelings of those currently serving or who had already completed their military duty.


jshan@heraldcorp.com