(Asiad) 9 overseas-based footballers among 20 members to earn military exemption with gold medal
TOYOTA, Japan, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- With a nailbiting 1-0 win over the host Japan that clinched South Korea's gold medal in men's football at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, 20 out of 23 players on the team received exemption from the mandatory military service -- a move that will them allow to continue to develop and take the torch from the older generation.
South Korean players celebrate after beating Japan 1-0 in the men's football gold medal match of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, on Oct. 3, 2026. (Yonhap)
Eom Ji-sung scored the match's lone goal in the 61st minute of the final at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, some 30 kilometers east of the main host city, Nagoya.
Eom, winger for the second-tier English club Swansea City, was among nine players who ply their club trade overseas.
For such players, getting exemption from the military duty carries extra financial implications, as clubs will no longer have reservations about offering them longterm deals.
This year's team, coached by Lee Min-sung, did not feature transcendent stars of previous Asiad squads such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. But the squad still had some skilled players who have flashed potential to grow into key members of the senior national team going forward.
Eom Ji-sung of South Korea (R) scores against Japan during the men's football gold medal match of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, on Oct. 3, 2026. (Yonhap)
Eom, who led South Korea with four goals and four assists, is one of them. Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City and Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic FC have already established themselves with their respective clubs and will now have a chance to keep taking steps forward without interruption.
Brentford defender Kim Ji-soo, the youngest South Korean to have played in a Premier League match, is another promising young player who will benefit from the military exemption.
The senior men's national team appears to have reached the crossroads, with the veteran group led by Son and Lee Jae-sung, both 34, aging out and the next wave of players, including Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom, in their early 30s with their best days slowly appearing in the rearview mirror.
A successful changing of the guards will depend on the development of this current crop of early- to mid-20s players, and they all received their boost with Saturday night's gold medal.
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