Son Heung-min off national military duty... Sporting authorities consider fairer military exemption system for athletes
- 6 years ago
South Korean footballer Son Heung-min along with 19 other footballers have been exempted from military service,... after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games.
Alot of attention was on the country's conscription... as professional athletes find their careers interrupted by the mandatory service.
Oh Soo-young explains.
South Korea's sporting authorities are discussing how to improve military conscription conditions for professional athletes so that the best years of their careers are not interrupted by mandatory service.
This comes after English Premier League star Son Heung-min and 19 of his South Korea teammates secured exemption from military duty,... by winning Gold at the 2018 Asian Games, beating Japan by two goals to one in the final.
Nine baseball players were also waived from service, after winning gold on Friday.
All able-bodied South Korean males aged between 18 and 35 are required to serve about 21 months in the military,... but athletes who win an Olympic medal or Asian Games gold medal are exempt from conscription.
The system, however, has been criticized as a one-shot approach,... with calls for a fairer mileage system that would allow professional athletes to stack up points by participating in major international matches.
At a press conference on Sunday,.. following the closing of the Asian Games,... Korean sporting authorities said they would review the situation.
"We will take another look at all the problems surrounding the issue and consider awarding exemptions when the players reach a certain level of mileage points."
Athletes who are exempt from service only need to participate in four weeks of basic military training.
The proposed changes would help them further develop their professional sporting careers and give them a better chance of playing for foreign teams.
Under the current system, the next chance to secure military exemption for the country's footballers will be at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
Alot of attention was on the country's conscription... as professional athletes find their careers interrupted by the mandatory service.
Oh Soo-young explains.
South Korea's sporting authorities are discussing how to improve military conscription conditions for professional athletes so that the best years of their careers are not interrupted by mandatory service.
This comes after English Premier League star Son Heung-min and 19 of his South Korea teammates secured exemption from military duty,... by winning Gold at the 2018 Asian Games, beating Japan by two goals to one in the final.
Nine baseball players were also waived from service, after winning gold on Friday.
All able-bodied South Korean males aged between 18 and 35 are required to serve about 21 months in the military,... but athletes who win an Olympic medal or Asian Games gold medal are exempt from conscription.
The system, however, has been criticized as a one-shot approach,... with calls for a fairer mileage system that would allow professional athletes to stack up points by participating in major international matches.
At a press conference on Sunday,.. following the closing of the Asian Games,... Korean sporting authorities said they would review the situation.
"We will take another look at all the problems surrounding the issue and consider awarding exemptions when the players reach a certain level of mileage points."
Athletes who are exempt from service only need to participate in four weeks of basic military training.
The proposed changes would help them further develop their professional sporting careers and give them a better chance of playing for foreign teams.
Under the current system, the next chance to secure military exemption for the country's footballers will be at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.