Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
FIFA U-20 re-ignites row over military exemption for athletes
A banner in front of Jinju City Hall in South Gyeongsang Province, Friday, advertises a street event for the FIFA U-20 final match on Sunday. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Controversy over whether to exempt medal-winning athletes from mandatory military service has re-emerged after the national team reached the championship final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Although team members are not subject to the military service exemption under the present law, supporters say the athletes enhanced national prestige and thus are well qualified for it. The government has been discussing the exemption issue since last year ― about how to set the standard for it and even whether to abolish it.
Three petitions have been posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website requesting military service exemptions for national team members. One was posted on June 10 before Korea beat Ecuador to reach the final, while two were uploaded afterward. In total, nearly 20,000 people have signed them and the number may skyrocket if Korea wins the championship in the final early Sunday morning.
“In the reality that adults do not give hope to people, those young ones are giving hope by advancing to the finals,” one petitioner wrote. “If they beat Ukraine in the final, it will be an even greater result than the Korea team reaching the semifinals in the 2002 World Cup. So I hope the government will provide a bright future for not only the players who play in overseas leagues but also all the team members by exempting them from military service.”
Another petitioner said: “It is true that military service is a duty for all able-bodied men, but the young athletes raised national prestige and gave courage to people. Please consider exempting them from the service.”
South Korean national team members celebrate after defeating Ecuador in the semifinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Lublin Stadium in Lublin, Poland, Tuesday. Yonhap
Under the military service law, exemptions are given to athletes who win gold medals at the Asian Games or any medals at the Olympics. The same applies to those who win first or second place in international arts competitions and top place in domestic arts competitions in traditional Korean performance fields.
Other international games, such as the World Cup or Asian cups run by FIFA, are not included.
Public sentiment is divided on the issue.
Supporters say athletes who gain good results in other international competitions and world-famous artists deserve preferential treatment because they have already contributed to the state. A similar petition for military service exemption was posted for members of K-pop boy band BTS last year, when they made history on Billboard's main album chart.
However, critics who oppose the idea highlight the need to enhance transparency and fairness over the nation's conscription system, as those sports can be exploited to gain exemptions.
The controversy escalated when 42 athletes who won gold medals at the Asian Games last year were exempted from military service. At the time, the Korea Baseball Organization and coaches were criticized for choosing specific players to give them a shot at military service exemption.
Since then, the Ministry of National Defense, the Military Manpower Administration and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism formed a taskforce to work on how to revise the relevant law or abolish preferential treatment. They plan to announce the discussion results in August.
Regarding the row over the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the administration said it is not considering the favor for now.
Meanwhile, street cheering events will be held across the country from Saturday night for the final match with Ukraine early Sunday morning.
A huge screen will be set up near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul, as well as the lawn in front of the Gangdong-gu Office building.
Mass gatherings and cheering will also be held at football fields in Incheon and Jungang-ro in Daejeon, while many other municipalities are preparing for street cheering events.