Past Interviews of Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min Resurface Amid Military Service Exemption Controversy

[Lee Ki-hyuk / Captain of the National Football Team (on October 3): If we don't win the gold medal, I had nine days left before having to return to South Korea and enlist. I'm not going to the military.]

As a fierce backlash builds surrounding the military service exemption system for athletes in the wake of the Asian Games, football content creator "Peno" and lawyer Kim Jung-hwan appeared on SBS News Hunters to diagnose the current controversy.

Both expressed mutual agreement regarding the chilled public sentiment.

[Peno / Football Content Creator: Basically, the military service benefit itself is a privilege. People should feel that it is something very grateful, but at some point, it became too natural for the players. And because interviews and actions came out where the players didn't seem grateful but rather took it lightly...]

[Kim Jung-hwan / Lawyer: The benefits gained from winning first place in a national sporting event inevitably belong to individuals. The public knows this very well, but beyond that, seeing players view (military benefits) as their own right—when it is a benevolent benefit given by the nation, and ultimately granted through social consensus by the public—I think the point of public anger lies in the fact that they felt zero gratitude for such things.]

Under the current system, athletes who win a bronze medal or higher at the Olympics, or a gold medal at the Asian Games, can be transferred to arts and sports personnel, replacing active-duty service.

After receiving basic military training, they are recognized as having fulfilled their military service obligations once they complete 34 months of activity in their specialized field and 544 hours of volunteer work.

When asked whether the Asian Games carry enough weight to warrant military benefits, they answered as follows:

[Peno / Football Content Creator: We achieved four consecutive victories at the Asian Games this time, but no matter what, even if you win the gold medal, there is always this kind of talk: winning the gold medal just means you met expectations. So, even though coach Lee Min-sung received a lot of criticism this time, the heavy burden is that winning a gold medal doesn't bring praise; it's just written off as doing what you're supposed to do. Anyway, military service benefits involve promoting national prestige. But when asked whether the Asian Games is a tournament with that level of quality and competitiveness, it would probably be reasonable to view it as not being so for football.]

Regarding the opinion that military benefits should be abolished exclusively for the Asian Games, they maintained a cautious stance.

[Kim Jung-hwan / Lawyer: If we ignore individual efforts and achievements and talk about abolishing the Asian Games exemptions altogether, tournaments where military benefits can be received end up limited to the Olympics. If everyone must equally fulfill the sacred duty of national defense, a player's twenties and an ordinary person's twenties are very different, so I think we can secure ways to delay that period or use various methods.]

Due to this controversy, past interviews of athletes regarding military service benefits are drawing attention once again.

[Park Ji-sung / Co-Chairman of the K-Football Innovation Committee (at the time of entering the training center in 2003): (How do you feel right now?) I have a somewhat bittersweet feeling, but since many people serve for two years and two months, and I am going even though my body is normal just by receiving the benefit... I am going with a happy heart.]

[Son Heung-min / Then-Captain of the Asian Games Football National Team (2018): For me, rather than such things (military exemption), I came to this tournament to win, to achieve two consecutive titles... I think that's what I talked about to the players first. I always consider it a tremendous honor as a South Korean to play in South Korean matches, and I always feel grateful to the South Korean public.]

When asked about the background behind the atmosphere of taking military benefits lightly among this year's Asian Games football national team, "Peno" pointed to the administrative vacuum within the Football Association.

[Peno / Football Content Creator: (The Football Association) is in a situation with an administrative vacuum, and I feel a sense of regret that they weren't able to properly guide the players directly regarding responses to the media and such... Ultimately, if you are a professional, while we naturally sympathize with those personal feelings to some extent, what we outwardly project and say to the fans needs to reflect that. Basically, acting grateful.]

Netizens who encountered the news showed various reactions, such as "Since they don't know gratitude, the benefits should be reduced," "Only the Olympics and the World Cup should be recognized," and "They promoted national prestige, so benefits should be given."

(Produced by Lee Seyoung | Video Editing by Lee Da-in | Source: News Hunters | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.