Remarks by South Korean footballers about military service exemptions after their gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have drawn repeated criticism, prompting louder calls from politicians to overhaul the country's military service exemption program for artists and athletes. With both the ruling and opposition parties agreeing that change is needed, attention is turning to whether the National Assembly will take up proposals to scrap the exemptions or redesign the criteria.
Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the Democratic Party of Korea, a former Army general, argued on Facebook on the 5th that the current exemption program should be scaled back over time. "In 1973, when the program was introduced, raising the country's international profile was an urgent task, but South Korea has now joined the ranks of advanced economies," Kim said. "Even BTS, who contributed greatly to the national interest, fulfilled their military duty." He said that with the pool of conscripts shrinking sharply, it is inappropriate to apply military obligations differently based solely on achievements in particular fields.
The dispute erupted after interviews with the national football team following its victory over Japan in the final on the 3rd. Forward Yang Min-hyuk said he "played with nothing in mind but the military exemption," and captain Lee Ki-hyuk, asked how he felt about the title, replied, "We don't have to go to the army." Park Seung-su, the team's youngest player, posted a video of himself saluting while wearing a discharge cap. The three players apologized after a wave of criticism that they were treating military duty lightly.
Before that, a fairness dispute surrounding the gold-medal-winning baseball team had also drawn renewed attention. Critics questioned whether it was fair for South Korea, fielding domestic professional players, to earn exemptions by beating a Japanese squad made up of amateur players with day jobs. Amid criticism that a program introduced to promote national prestige is being used to relieve individual athletes of their service burden, proposals range from abolishing it outright to redesigning the criteria according to each sport's level of competition and international standing.
The People Power Party also raised the need for change. Park Sung-hoon, the party's chief spokesperson, said glory won in representing South Korea "should not be turned into a personal success story about escaping military service." He added that the country must reexamine "without exception whether the current arts and sports service program fits the times and the public's common sense." Park said the criteria should be redesigned by weighing factors such as each sport's level of competition and international standing, and that if the program is retained, public obligations attached to it should be strengthened.
