Army releases picture of Napoli defender Kim Min-jae at military boot camp

A picture of Kim Min-jae, bottom third from left, posing with army recruits at the Korea Army Training Center shared on the boot camp's website on Tuesday. [KOREA ARMY TRAINING CENTER]

The Korea Army Training Center (KATC) shared a picture of Napoli defender Kim Min-jae on Tuesday, who is completing basic military training this month.

The picture the KATC shared on its website shows Kim and other army recruits holding the signs that say “We love eighth company-second platoon-first squad,” the unit he is part of.

Kim entered the boot camp on June 15 to fulfill a three-week training — required for those exempt from mandatory service as an art and sports personnel.

He was exempt from one-and-a-half year mandatory service after winning a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games when Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur was also granted an exemption.

Once his training ends in July, he will likely leave Napoli to join a different club this summer, with multiple Korean and foreign reports suggesting that Bundesliga's Bayern Munich are close to reaching a deal with him.

Kim saw great success with the Italian club last season, playing as a regular pick and leading his side to its first Serie A title in 33 years.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]