Newcastle Academy forward Park Seung-soo wears a “military discharge cap” after his Asian Games gold earned him military service benefits. The photo was uploaded on his social media.SCREEN CAPTURE
NAGOYA, Japan — Should winning a gold medal at the Asian Games qualify players for a military exemption? The debate has reignited after Newcastle Academy forward Park Seung-soo posted a celebratory photo wearing a “military discharge cap,” a hat gifted by family or friends to soldiers who have completed conscription, after a win at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Korea’s under-23 football team claimed gold with a 1-0 win over Japan in Saturday’s final, a victory that secured military service exemptions for 20 players.
“The medal and the title didn’t matter,” said Yang Min-hyeok, a 20-year-old Westerlo forward. “There was a military exemption on the line, and that was all I cared about.”
“I’m not going to the military,” said captain Lee Gi-hyuk of the Gangwon FC. The 26-year-old had been preparing to join the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps.
Another player said the team even put on “A Letter from a Private,” a 1986 song about leaving for military service.
The recent celebrations stood in stark contrast to Son Heung-min of the Los Angeles FC, who earned the same military service benefit after winning Asian Games gold in 2018 but steered clear of the sensitive subject altogether. “I’m wearing the gold medal, but it belongs to the Korean people,” Son said.
Korea’s baseball team faced similar scrutiny at this year’s Asian Games. The team lost 5-0 to an amateur Japanese team in the Super Round before edging the same opponent 3-1 in the final, securing military service benefits for 16 players who had yet to serve.
Korean baseball players who earned military service benefits at the Asian Games pose in the shape of the Chinese character for “gold” on Sept. 27.NEWS1
Baseball captain Roh Si-hwan was defiant in the face of criticism. “Honestly, I don’t care,” Roh said. “We won it, and I don’t think how we got there matters.”
Some fans saw it differently. “Even BTS serves in the military, and is it fair that an Asian Games gold comes with military service benefits?” one internet user said. The debate had started to die down before the football team brought it roaring back.
Introduced in 1973, Korea’s military service program for artists and athletes allows Olympic medalists and Asian Games gold medalists to replace 18 months of military duty with three weeks of basic training and 544 hours of sports-related community service. The benefit has helped athletes such as baseball stars Park Chan-ho and Choo Shin-soo and footballer Son pursue careers on the global stage during their prime.
But the Asian Games have expanded to include far more events, while many countries send second-string teams. That has fueled calls to overhaul the system to reflect the modern sporting landscape and public expectations.
“We provided extensive training, including on interview skills, but it is difficult to control what every athlete says,” said Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, at a closing press conference on Sunday. “Those remarks were out of step with public sentiment. We will look at ways to ensure national team athletes communicate with the dignity expected of them.”
Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, speaks during the closing press conference held in Japan on Oct. 4.YONHAP
“Is the military something to despise?” People Power Party Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo wrote on social media on Sunday. “It is deeply troubling that this is the attitude of athletes representing the country.”
Ahn said that military service exemptions should be unthinkable for national team athletes who show contempt for the military.
“Just days ago, a soldier lost an ankle to a North Korean mine on the western front [on the inter-Korean border],” Ahn said. “Yet these athletes seem to have completely forgotten the consideration shown by a country and its people that recognize their contribution to national prestige with a military exemption for a single goal. It is time to reconsider military exemptions for Asian Games gold medalists. Exemptions should not be granted to national team athletes who disgrace the country and show contempt for military service.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
