Military duty dilemma for sports stars
SONG JI-HOONThe author is the deputy sports news director at the JoongAng Ilbo.
Thirty-one-year-old Seok Hyun-jun, a former national soccer team striker criticized for evading military duty, is finally returning to Korea. He plans to return soon, get punished for violating the Military Service Act, and complete his military service. It’s been three years since he stayed in France beyond the period set by the Military Manpower Administration. He has been placed on the list of dodgers.
The duty of national defense should be fulfilled by all healthy Korean men. Athletes are no exception. The typical military enlistment age from mid to late 20s overlaps with the heyday of athletes. Many athletes exchange their sports uniforms for military uniforms to serve during the peak of their athletic abilities.
There are ways for athletes to complete their duty without enlisting. They can become members of the “arts and sports personnel.” The system was created in 1973 for art and sports talents who contributed to the promotion of national prestige and cultural development. But entry barriers are high. For sports, it is only for winners of gold, silver or bronze medals at the Olympics or gold medal winners at the Asian Games. Korean soccer star Son Heung-min, 30, qualified for the exemption as the Korean team won the gold medal at the Jakarta Palembang Asian Games in 2018.
As it is a burden to join the military at the height of their career — and because it’s not easy to become an art and sports personnel — some athletes are tempted to dodge, just like Seok Hyun-jun, the footballer. Bae Sang-moon, 36, who won the U.S. PGA twice, went through a similar course as Seok to extend his overseas stay and filed an administrative suit. But after losing the case, he returned in 2015, was enlisted in active duty, and completed his service.
Baek Cha-seung, 42, is a different case. In 2000, he was included in the list of dodgers. But five years later, he obtained U.S. citizenship and gave up his Korean citizenship. In 2016, he filed a lawsuit to recover his nationality, but the court ruled against him as “the purpose of evading military service was evident.” He currently works as an instructor for the second-tier team of professional baseball team NC as a “black-haired foreigner.”
Seok, who stayed abroad for three years without permission after losing the administrative lawsuit, is in between the two cases. Since he has made a belated decision to complete the military duty, he has laid a foundation to live in Korea in the future.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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