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South Korean players celebrate during a commemorative photo shoot after winning the gold medal in the men's soccer final between South Korea and Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 3rd, with Eom Ji-sung, who swept the tournament's top scorer and assist titles, rejoicing. / Yonhap

The Ministry of National Defense expressed regret on the 6th regarding the controversy over military service exemptions in sports, describing military duty as a "sacred duty that must be respected and held sublime."

Jeong Bit-na, spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, delivered this remark during a regular press briefing in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in response to questions about the comments and actions of certain players on the national soccer team who secured gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Spokesperson Jeong stated, "From the Defense Ministry's perspective, we view the remarks and actions emerging from parts of the sports community with profound regret," adding, "Military service is a sacred duty that all members of our society must respect and hold sublime together. We earnestly hope to establish a social culture that cherishes the dedication of our armed forces service members and reservists fulfilling their duties even at this moment, as well as the value of military obligation that deserves the respect of the entire public."

She further explained, "Our baseline approach is to comprehensively consider fairness and equity among conscription candidates, the declining pool of military manpower, and public consensus, with plans to reflect the scaling back or eventual abolition of supplementary service roles—including arts and sports personnel—in the Defense Reform Basic Plan."

Despite clinching an unprecedented fourth consecutive title by defeating Japan in the final, South Korea's men's Asian Games soccer team has faced mounting public backlash in recent days over controversial remarks made by several players regarding military exemptions.

Following the victory on the 3rd, team captain Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon) shared his thoughts on winning gold, remarking with a laugh: "If we hadn't won gold, I would have had just nine days left before enlistment upon returning to Korea. The military exemption was desperately needed for the players as well," before adding, "I'm not going to the military."

Yang Min-hyuk (Westerlo) also commented: "I thought the medal or the trophy didn't matter. With the reward of military exemption, I think that was the single goal I played for." Meanwhile, the youngest squad member, Park Seung-soo, who played only about ten minutes in the tournament, sparked fierce public criticism after posting a locker-room photo on social media wearing a military discharge cap.

Within political circles, calls are growing to overhaul the arts and sports military exemption system, which was introduced in 1973 under the banner of "enhancing national prestige," to align with changing times. In a phone interview with a news outlet, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ahn Gyu-back stated, "Abolishing the military exemption system is something that should have been done already," adding, "Given the demographic cliff in military troop numbers, we must eliminate the exemption system and replace it with financial compensation."

Fellow Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Il-young also remarked, "Winning an Asian Games gold medal is a remarkable achievement that deserves applause, but celebration and military exemptions are separate issues. As times have changed, the criteria must change as well." Park Seong-hoon, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, stated, "This should not be dismissed as mere verbal slips by a few players. We must evaluate whether the exemption system aligns with the times and the common sense of the public."

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol