Asia05 October, 20262 min read
Lee Gi-hyuk Apologises After Boasting He Would Skip Military Duty
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South Korea captain apologized for boasting about military service exemption after Asian Games final. He held up the gold medal and declared he would not go to the military.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Apology After Gloating
Lee Gi-hyuk apologised on Sunday after he boasted that winning Asian Games gold meant he was "not going to the military". Lee Gi-hyuk smiled as he held up his gold medal to reporters after South Korea defeated hosts Japan 1-0 on Saturday in the men's final in Toyota, near Nagoya.
Lee Gi-hyuk later told fans in an Instagram statement that he was "deeply sorry to the fans who are currently fulfilling their military duty, as well as to all those who sincerely supported us," and he added, "I deeply regret having spoken so carelessly, and I will continue to reflect on my actions." BBC said South Korean males are, in most circumstances, required to undertake between 18 and 21 months of active military service before the age of 28, while the government rewards Asian Games champions and Olympic medal winners with a service exemption bar basic training, which lasts less than a month.
Exemption Debate Reignites
Debate reignited over the military service exemption for athletes who win medals at international athletic competitions after some players made remarks gloating about the privilege at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Yang Min-hyeok, a 20-year-old winger, said, "The real reward for us is the military exemption, so I think we played with only that in mind," while Lee Gi-hyuk smiled as he held up his gold medal and said, "I'm not going to the military."
Park Seung-soo, a 19-year-old winger, posted a locker room photo of himself in a reservist cap on social media right after the win. The backlash on social media led to renewed debate in South Korea over the wisdom and propriety of exemptions for athletes, and all three players apologised, with Yang insisting that winning gold was "never taken for granted" but acknowledging that military exemption was one of "several motivations" for success at the tournament.
Service Rules and Fallout
The government grants the exemption privilege to Asian Games gold medalists and all Olympic medalists, who are instead required to complete just weeks of basic training and then need to complete 544 hours of community service over 34 months.
Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party argued national prestige alone is no longer a persuasive rationale, writing on Facebook that "The world knows Korea through K-pop, K-dramas, semiconductors, smartphones and cars."
Hwang In-kwan, 78, argued that athletes who excel in international competitions should serve in the military to compensate for shrinking troop numbers, adding, "Military service is the duty of Korean citizens, including athletes," while Ku Do-kyun, 33, said the Asian Games seemed to have become a shortcut for some Korean players to win military service exemptions.
Lee apologised for "the thoughtless remarks I made and the way I behaved after the match, things I should not have said or done, both as captain and as a player," and the golfer Tom Kim also earned a military exemption after winning gold at the Asian Games on Saturday.