'Even BTS served in military': Debate reignites over athletes' service exemption privilege

Debate over South Korea’s military service exemption for athletes has reignited after remarks by players following the men’s football final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The controversy has spread beyond sports into politics and public criticism, with renewed calls to abolish the privilege. Critics argue the system is increasingly hard to justify amid fairness concerns and shrinking military manpower.

Korea beat host Japan 1-0 in the men’s football final on Saturday and won a fourth consecutive Asian Games title.

Yang Min-hyeok, Lee Gi-hyuk and Park Seung-soo later apologized after comments and a social media post that drew backlash over the exemption privilege.

All able-bodied Korean men must serve 18 to 21 months, while eligible Asian Games and Olympic medalists complete weeks of basic training and 544 hours of community service over 34 months.

The active-duty military fell from about 560,000 in 2019 to about 450,000 last year and is projected to drop below 350,000 by 2040.

In 2019, the government kept the system, saying only about 45 people a year qualify and cutting the benefit would do little to increase manpower.

Published Oct 5, 2026 3:43 pm KST

Footballers' remarks spur calls to reconsider decades-old system

Korean men's football team players and coaching staff pose after winning the gold medal in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Saturday. Yonhap

Debate has 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.

While the issue has been around for more than a decade, calls for abolishing the system have grown stronger, especially in light of fairness issues with others who contributed to raising national prestige in other fields, including global stars like BTS, and the shrinking population in the age group eligible for military enlistment.

The controversy resurfaced after Korea beat host Japan 1-0 in the men's football final on Saturday, winning a fourth consecutive Asian Games title. Afterward, some players brought up the military service exemption in interviews.

"I don't think the medal or the trophy mattered at all. The real reward for us is the military exemption, so I think we played with only that in mind," said Yang Min-hyeok, a 20-year-old winger.

S. Korea beats Japan for 4th straight men's football gold

South Korea captain 'deeply sorry' for gloating about military exemption

Lee Gi-hyuk, a 26-year-old defender, smiled as he held up his gold medal to reporters 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.

All able-bodied Korean men must serve 18 to 21 months in the military depending on their branch. 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. They then need to complete 544 hours of community service over 34 months.

The Asian Games have long been a major route for top Korean professional players to receive the benefit. Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae earned it with gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, while Lee Kang-in did so at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

As criticism grew, Yang, Lee and Park apologized on social media. But the fallout soon reached politics and the public, with calls to reconsider the benefit granted to winners of international athletic competitions in the name of national prestige.

Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party said national prestige alone is no longer a persuasive rationale, noting that even BTS, which she said has done more than anyone to raise Korea's global profile, served in the military.

BTS' RM, left, and V salute after being discharged from their military service in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, June 10, 2025. Yonhap

"When there were few ways to introduce Korea to the world, a single medal amounted to national promotion. That certainly meant something then, but times are different now," Na wrote on Facebook. "The world knows Korea through K-pop, K-dramas, semiconductors, smartphones and cars."

Many citizens voiced similar criticism of the exemption benefit. Hwang In-kwan, 78, said athletes who excel in international competitions should serve in the military to compensate for shrinking troop numbers, if they can serve for a short period of time that would not damage their skills.

The country's active-duty military, which numbered about 560,000 in 2019, fell to about 450,000 last year and is projected to drop below 350,000 by 2040, driven by the total fertility rate reaching a low of 0.8 in 2025.

"Military service is the duty of Korean citizens, including athletes," Hwang said.

Ku Do-kyun, 33, said the Asian Games seem to have become a shortcut for some Korean players to win military service exemptions.

"In football and baseball alike, players seem to work hard at the Asian Games only for their own military exemptions. It's as if they wouldn't show up without one," Ku said. "It seems baseball players do not try their best at the World Baseball Classic but go all out at the Asian Games, even scolding one another over mistakes. Every time I see that, I think the military exemption should be abolished."

The debate over the system has continued for years. In 2018, the Korean baseball team won gold at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games but drew criticism that some players were picked only to earn the benefits.

But in 2019, the government decided to keep the system, saying only about 45 people a year qualify, so reducing that number would do little to increase military manpower.

在爱知-名古屋亚运会男足决赛后，韩国运动员的言论再次引发了关于韩国运动员免服兵役制度的争议。这场争议已从体育界蔓延至政治和公众舆论领域，要求废除这项特权的呼声再次高涨。批评人士认为，在公平性问题和兵力日益减少的背景下，这项制度越来越难以站得住脚。

韩国队在周六的男足决赛中以 1-0 击败东道主日本队，连续第四次获得亚运会冠军。

杨敏赫、李基赫和朴承洙在因豁免特权而引发的言论和社交媒体帖子遭到强烈反对后，事后都进行了道歉。

所有身体健全的韩国男性都必须服役 18 至 21 个月，而有资格获得亚运会和奥运会奖牌的运动员则需在 34 个月内完成数周的基础训练和 544 小时的社区服务。

现役军人人数从 2019 年的约 56 万人下降到去年的约 45 万人，预计到 2040 年将下降到 35 万人以下。

2019 年，政府保留了该制度，称每年只有大约 45 人符合资格，削减福利对增加人力几乎没有任何作用。

发布于2026年10月5日下午3:43（韩国标准时间）

足球运动员的言论引发了重新审视沿用数十年的制度的呼声。

韩国男足队员和教练组在2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会上夺得金牌后合影留念。（韩联社）

在爱知-名古屋亚运会上，一些运动员对获得国际田径比赛奖牌的运动员享有的兵役豁免权表示沾沾自喜，这再次引发了关于该项权利的争论。

虽然这个问题已经存在了十多年，但废除该制度的呼声越来越高，尤其是在考虑到其他领域为提升国家声望做出贡献的人（包括像 BTS 这样的全球明星）的公平性问题，以及符合兵役入伍年龄组人口的减少等因素之后。

韩国队周六在男足决赛中以1比0战胜东道主日本队，连续第四次夺得亚运会冠军，此后，关于韩国队免服兵役的争议再次浮出水面。赛后，一些球员在采访中提到了免服兵役的问题。

“我觉得奖牌和奖杯根本不重要。对我们来说，真正的奖励是免服兵役，所以我觉得我们比赛时也只有这个目标，”20岁的边锋杨敏赫说道。

韩国击败日本，连续第四次夺得男足奥运金牌。

韩国队长为炫耀免服兵役而“深感抱歉”

26岁的后卫李基赫面带微笑地向记者们展示他的金牌，并说道：“我不会去服兵役。”19岁的边锋朴承洙在夺冠后立即在社交媒体上发布了一张自己戴着预备役军帽的更衣室照片。

所有身体健全的韩国男性都必须服兵役，具体时长取决于所属兵种，服役期限为18至21个月。政府给予亚运会金牌得主和所有奥运会奖牌得主豁免兵役的特权，他们只需完成数周的基础训练。之后，他们需要在34个月内完成544小时的社区服务。

亚运会一直是韩国顶尖职业选手获得这项福利的主要途径。孙兴慜和金珉载在2018年雅加达-巨港亚运会上夺得金牌，从而获得了这项福利；李康仁则在2023年杭州亚运会上获得了这项福利。

随着批评声浪渐起，杨、李和朴在社交媒体上道歉。但此事很快波及政界和公众，人们呼吁重新考虑以维护国家声誉为名给予国际体育赛事优胜者的特殊待遇。

国民力量党议员罗京元表示，仅仅为了国家声望已经不再是一个有说服力的理由，她指出，即使是防弹少年团（BTS），她认为防弹少年团对提升韩国的国际形象贡献最大，也都曾服过兵役。

2025年6月10日，防弹少年团成员RM（左）和V在江原道春川市退伍后敬礼。（韩联社）

“在向世界介绍韩国的途径寥寥无几的时候，一枚奖牌就足以代表国家形象。这在当时当然意义非凡，但时代已经不同了，”罗在脸书上写道。“世界通过韩流音乐、韩剧、半导体、智能手机和汽车了解韩国。”

许多市民对这项豁免福利表达了类似的批评。78岁的黄仁冠表示，在国际比赛中表现优异的运动员应该服兵役，以弥补兵力不足的问题，前提是服役时间短且不会影响他们的竞技水平。

该国现役军人人数在 2019 年约为 56 万人，去年下降到约 45 万人，预计到 2040 年将降至 35 万人以下，原因是总和生育率在 2025 年达到 0.8 的低点。

黄说：“服兵役是韩国公民的义务，包括运动员在内。”

33岁的具道均表示，亚运会似乎已经成为一些韩国运动员获得兵役豁免的捷径。

“无论是足球还是棒球，球员们似乎都只为了获得兵役豁免才在亚运会上拼尽全力。好像没有豁免他们就不会参赛似的，”顾先生说。“棒球运动员在世界棒球经典赛上似乎并不全力以赴，但在亚运会上却拼尽全力，甚至会因为彼此的失误而互相责备。每次看到这种情况，我都觉得应该取消兵役豁免制度。”

关于这套制度的争论已经持续多年。2018年，韩国棒球队在雅加达-巨港亚运会上夺得金牌，但却因此受到批评，有人认为部分球员入选只是为了获得特权。

但2019年，政府决定保留该制度，称每年只有大约45人符合资格，因此减少这个数字对增加军事人力几乎没有作用。