Many were shocked as South Korea has made a decision regarding the military service exemption issue for footballers after winning gold at the 2026 Asian Games.
On 6 Oct 2026 GMT+7, Yonhap, a leading South Korean news agency, reported that the Ministry of National Defense is considering revoking military service exemptions for athletes and artists following public controversy.
The Ministry cited fairness, a declining military manpower pool, and public opinion as reasons, triggered by footballers' remarks that reignited criticism of the exemption system.
In a Tuesday statement, the Ministry said it is reviewing reducing or canceling military exemptions for athletes and artists amid controversy over inappropriate comments by South Korean gold medalist athletes at the 2026 Asian Games.
The issue arose when some members of South Korea’s men’s national football team, who won gold at the 2026 Asian Games, publicly stated their main goal was to gain military exemption rather than to win medals.
These remarks sparked renewed debate about the fairness of the military exemption system.
Chung Binna, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said in a daily press briefing, "Ultimately, we plan to reduce or eliminate military exemptions, including for artists and athletes, and incorporate this into the basic framework of military reform."
The Ministry will consider factors such as fairness among conscripts, the shrinking pool of eligible military-age men, and public consensus in its decision-making.
Typically, healthy South Korean men must serve 18-21 months of mandatory military service before turning 28 under conscription laws.
However, artists and athletes who achieve top awards domestically or internationally receive exemptions from regular service; they undergo only three weeks of basic military training and complete 544 hours of social service within 34 months instead.
For athletes, the government exempts those winning gold medals at the Asian Games and any medal at the Olympic Games from military conscription.