Asian Games gold medal benefit questioned as benchwarmers get same exemption as key players

One athlete played every minute. Another never left the bench. Despite the vast difference in their contributions, both walked away from the Asian Games with gold medals and the same exemption from military conscription. 

Gold medals at the recent Asian Games have put 56 athletes on track for alternative military service, including 48 from baseball, football, basketball and other team ball sports, according to data obtained Wednesday by the office of Rep. Kim Jae-won of the Rebuilding Korea Party from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.

Under the program, gold medalists must undergo three weeks of basic military training and perform sports-related community service instead of regular military service.

Playing time differed widely even among teammates, including Korea's baseball squad, where 16 of the 24 players had yet to serve in the military.

Across six games, pitchers Sung Yeong-tak and Kim Young-woo threw just 1 1/3 and 1 2/3 innings, respectively, while Gwak Been pitched 12 1/3 innings in two appearances. The gap was substantial even after accounting for the different roles of starters and relievers.

The divide extended beyond the pitchers. Kim Gun-hee and Lee Jae-hyeon each stepped up to the plate just four times and played nine defensive innings. On the contrary, Kim Ji-chan and Roh Si-hwan played every game and logged more than 40 innings on defense. But Gwak, Kim Ji-chan and Roh had already secured military service exemptions through their gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

The disparity was even more pronounced in football, where 20 of the 23 players are eligible for military service benefits. Kim Joon-hong, a goalkeeper who had already fulfilled his military obligations through a military club, played all six matches from start to finish. His two fellow goalkeepers, Kim Min-seung and Lee Seung-hwan, did not play a single minute.

For defenders Park Gyeong-seop and Choi Woo-jin, the tournament amounted to just one minute on the pitch each. Park Seong-hoon and Kang Min-jun fared little better, with fewer than 10 minutes of playing time apiece.

Park Seung-soo played just 17 minutes across three matches but appeared in a military discharge cap in a photo uploaded to his social media as soon as Korea won gold. The cap is traditionally worn as an informal celebration of completing military service. Yang Min-hyeok, who played 183 minutes over four matches, drew criticism after saying he saw the military service exemption as his sole motivation for competing.

By contrast, Shin Min-ah, Choi Seok-hyun and Bae Hyun-seo played in every match and spent more than 400 minutes on the pitch apiece.

In basketball, playing time was more evenly shared. The eight players who qualified for military service benefits each averaged at least 10 minutes per game. Lee Woo-suk, who served as an army sergeant during the tournament, and fellow key players Lee Hyun-jung and Lee Jung-hyun averaged about 25 minutes per match.

The workload was similarly balanced in 3X3 basketball. All four players on the roster, Lee Ju-yeong, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Dong-geun and Ku Min-gyo, averaged at least six minutes of playing time in games that last just 10 minutes.

Under current rules, athletes who win gold in team events at the Asian Games can qualify for alternative military service regardless of how much time they actually spend on the field. Previously, players had to appear in at least one match to qualify. But that requirement was removed in 2020 after controversy over teams that briefly sent players into games simply to make them eligible for the benefit. As a result, athletes who never play a single match can receive the same military service benefits as teammates who play throughout the tournament.

The latest Asian Games have revived questions about the fairness of military service benefits for athletes and prompted renewed calls for reform among lawmakers.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young also recently told lawmakers during parliamentary audits that they would develop plans to gradually scale back or abolish the military service exemption system.

“Lawmakers from both parties agree on the need for reform,” Rep. Kim said. “We must develop reasonable changes that reflect public consensus while taking into account the original purpose and necessity of the military service exemption system.”

BY BYUN MIN-CHUL [[email protected]]