People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh smiles on the podium after winning the men's 50-meter pistol event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil, when he was a member of the national shooting team. [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh smiles on the podium after winning the men's 50-meter pistol event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil, when he was a member of the national shooting team. [Yonhap]

Amid growing calls to overhaul the military service exemption system following a controversy over the conduct of the Asian Games football squad, People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh said the government should establish a proper reward system for female medal-winning athletes as well.

Jin wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that some players on the national football team had behaved inappropriately after winning the Asian Games — including a ceremony involving military discharge caps — fueling public demand to reform the military service exemption system. "The inappropriate words and actions of some players on the football team were wrong," he said.

"If you represent the national team, you must understand the weight of the Taeguk mark, and if you did wrong, you must apologize properly," he said.

However, Jin stressed that an individual player's misconduct and the value of a gold medal are separate matters. "Wrongdoing should be called out, but that does not mean the achievement itself should be diminished," he said.

Jin then said the value of a gold medal and the weight of representing the country are no different for men and women. "If male athletes receive military service benefits, we should also think about what rewards are appropriate for female athletes — who have no military obligation — for achievements made representing the country," he said.

He went on to say that whether to maintain or change the military service exemption system is a matter for national debate. "I hope this controversy becomes an opportunity to have a bigger conversation," he said.

Meanwhile, Jin, a former national shooting team member who won four Olympic gold medals, two Olympic silver medals, five world championship gold medals and three Asian Games gold medals, did not benefit from the military service exemption himself — he had already completed his full term of service six months before winning his first Olympic medal.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com