Backlash Over "Not Going to the Military" Remarks Sparks Calls to Revise Military Service Exemption System

[Anchor]

Although the Asian Games have drawn to a close, careless remarks made by a few athletes who secured military service exemptions by winning gold medals have sparked a major backlash. Lawmakers across both ruling and opposition parties are speaking with one voice, calling for a reform of the military service exemption system. Attention is now focused on whether this controversy will actually lead to structural changes in the system.

Reporter Yu Deok-gi has the details.

[Reporter]

After receiving the privilege of military service exemption thanks to an Asian Games gold medal, some athletes posted authentication photos wearing discharge caps, and explicitly brought up the topic of military exemption during post-match interviews, saying things like "I'm not going to the military."

[Lee Ki-hyuk / Captain, Men's Asian Games National Football Team: This tournament was critically important regarding military exemption, especially since enlistment was right around the corner for me... I'm not going to the military.]

As the controversy grew over the athletes' attitude—which seemed to treat the sacred duty of national defense as if it were a punishment—both the ruling and opposition parties raised voices insisting that the military service exemption system, introduced in the 1970s, needs to be overhauled.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo, who serves as a special advisor on national defense policy to the president, emphasized the "sharp decline in military personnel resources." He noted, "Both the ruling and opposition parties have formed a consensus in the National Assembly's Defense Committee that military service exemptions should be gradually reduced," while proposing a "gradual reform" plan to step-by-step narrow down the targets and criteria.

The Democratic Party stated that while an official party-wide stance has not yet been established, discussions are indeed necessary.

[Shin Hyun-young / Spokesperson, Democratic Party: Even in the case of BTS, they fulfill their military duties. Is it fair for our athletes to receive military service exemptions?...]

The People Power Party emphasized that public outrage over the remarks and behavior of certain athletes is entirely justified, and called for a comprehensive overhaul of the military service exemption system in a direction that the public can understand.

[Park Sung-hoon / Spokesperson, People Power Party: The glory earned representing the Republic of Korea must not be turned into a personal success story of escaping military service.]

The military service exemption issue is expected to become a major focal point during the National Assembly's parliamentary audits starting tomorrow (the 6th). With demands for reduction or redesign coming from both sides of the political spectrum, all eyes are on whether this will translate into actual institutional reform.

(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News | Video reporting: Oh Young-chun, Video editing: Nam Il, Design: Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.