Seoul reviews military benefits for athletes — The Japan Times
In Seoul, South Korea’s Military Manpower Administration is reviewing the system of exempting athletes from full military service. The review covers the criteria for granting exemptions and requirements for community service; it is scheduled to be completed by mid-November. It was prompted by reactions to the behavior of football players after the national team’s victory at the Asian Games, The Japan Times reports.
Reaction to footballers’ celebrations
Team captain Lee Gi-hyeok said after the victory over the tournament hosts, Japan’s national team, in the men’s football final: “I’m not going to the army.” According to him, had they lost, he would have had to report for service nine days later, interrupting his lucrative career at its peak.
Further outrage was sparked by a video featuring 19-year-old Newcastle player Park Seung-su: he wore a cap worn after demobilization and gave a salute. Both footballers later apologized. The publication notes that athletes had previously usually spoken cautiously about such benefits, as the issue of military service is sensitive in the country.
How the benefits system works
Most men eligible for service in South Korea must serve from 18 to 21 months. At the same time, the system introduced in 1973 allows athletes to qualify for exemption from full service for an Olympic medal of any kind or Asian Games gold. Benefits may also be granted to artists who win designated competitions.
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Such athletes still undergo three weeks of basic military training and must complete 544 hours of community service in their field over 34 months. Defense Minister Kang Sin-chul promised to gradually reduce these benefits, with the ultimate goal of abolishing them completely.
Debate over fairness
An official involved in the conscription procedure, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the benefits had begun to be perceived as a reward, although only several dozen people use them each year. According to him, this could symbolically turn service into punishment for approximately 180,000 men who join the military every year. He proposed introducing a shortened term of service for elite athletes instead of full exemption.
Kim Sung-sin, a professor at Hanyang University’s Institute of Creative Convergence Education, linked the debate to the declining number of potential conscripts, the commercialization of sports and growing public demand for fairness.
