Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 6: After some South Korean Asian Games gold medalists made inappropriate remarks that “military service exemption is more important than gold medals,” the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said on the 6th that it was considering tightening or even abolishing the military service exemption system for athletes and people in the arts.
In the men’s football final of the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games held on the 3rd, the South Korean team defeated the Japanese team 1-0 and won the gold medal. According to relevant regulations in South Korea, 20 of the 23 team members are exempted from military service, which means they can replace military service with basic military training and community service. In interviews with the media after winning, some team members said they were more concerned about being exempted from military service than gold medals or trophies, triggering strong dissatisfaction among the Korean public and controversy over the fairness of the military service exemption system.
On October 3, South Korean team players celebrated their victory. In the men’s football final of the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games, the South Korean team defeated the Japanese team 1-0 and won the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jia Haocheng
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jung Bin Na (transliteration) said at a regular press conference on the 6th that the Ministry of National Defense regrets the inappropriate remarks made by some people in the sports community and hopes that soldiers and reservists who are performing their duties will be respected by the public. She said that the Ministry of National Defense will take into account factors such as fairness, the reduction in the number of people eligible for military service, and public consensus, and has plans to eventually tighten or abolish the military service exemption system for athletes and people in the arts community.
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