South Korea soccer players’ boasts spark rethink of military service exemptions

South Korean players celebrate after winning the gold medal over Japan at the Asian Games in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, earlier this month. | REUTERS

AFP-Jiji

Oct 13, 2026

Seoul – For South Korea’s gold medal-winning soccer players, victory at the Asian Games came with a reward beyond sporting glory: exemption from mandatory military service.

But the way some players celebrated that benefit has sparked a public backlash, prompting Seoul to reconsider a decades-old system originally designed to reward athletes for bringing prestige to the nation.

The controversy erupted after Asian Games football captain Lee Gi-hyuk proclaimed with a smile, “I’m not going to the military,” after beating hosts Japan in the men’s final this month.

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