Asian Games exemption row widens: Ahn seeks abolition, ruling party open to overhaul
Version 2: The ruling Democratic Party and its leader Kim Min-seok joined the debate, saying the targets and method of the exemption should be greatly adjusted, and Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young told a parliamentary audit the ministry would collect opinions and consult the Defense Ministry and the Military Manpower Administration on comprehensive measures.
In short
People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said on 7 October that the military service exemption for Asian Games gold medalists should be abolished starting with this tournament, arguing it is set by presidential decree and President Lee Jae-myung can amend it. The ruling Democratic Party moved toward change as well, with leader Kim Min-seok saying the targets and method of the benefit should be greatly adjusted, and Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young telling a parliamentary audit the ministry would seek comprehensive measures. The row followed the men's under-23 team's fourth consecutive Asian Games title on 3 October and remarks by some players that drew criticism, which the Defense Ministry said on 6 October it very much regrets.
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People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said on 7 October that the military service exemption for Asian Games gold medalists should be abolished starting with this tournament, and that President Lee Jae-myung can do it himself. In Facebook posts, Ahn said the benefit is set out in Article 68 of the enforcement decree of the Military Service Act, under which those who place in the top three at the Olympics or win at the Asian Games become eligible for the exemption, and that amending the decree would not require parliamentary legislation. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Ahn rejected the argument that military service interrupts athletes' careers, saying career interruption is a problem all young people equally face, and asking whether young soldiers standing search and guard duty at the front would not also want to work and build careers. He cited BTS, Lee Chan-hyuk and Woods as having raised the country's standing and given the public pride after serving, and noted that Lee Jae-myung had expressed negative views on military exemption for BTS when he was a presidential candidate in 2021. He urged that the decree be amended as soon as possible. [ 3 , 5 ]
People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik said the same day that everyone who received the exemption should be verified by the Military Manpower Administration and related agencies. He said arts and sports personnel must serve 34 months and perform 544 hours of public service under current law, and that there are many claims that even 23 days of volunteer work is not properly carried out because of document forgery. Jung said the system needs supplementing for fairness as military manpower declines with low birthrates, and called for education for national team athletes on “the weight of the Taeguk mark”. [ 3 ]
The ruling Democratic Party also moved toward change. Party leader Kim Min-seok said on the party's YouTube channel that times and the country's standing have changed, and that there is a sense the targets and method of the exemption should be greatly adjusted. He said lawmakers have already proposed bills ranging from abolishing the exemption to limiting it by sport, and that adjusting it within a broad framework would be better. The party plans to review related bills at the National Assembly's defense committee before discussing its own direction. [ 6 ]
At a National Assembly audit of the culture, sports and tourism committee, Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Gye-won pointed to fairness problems, saying the exemption is concentrated in sports such as football and baseball while world championship titles are excluded, and proposed a points system that accumulates international competition results. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young said the concept of military service and the value of fairness have changed a lot with the times, and that the ministry will collect opinions from sports and arts circles and consult the Defense Ministry and the Military Manpower Administration on comprehensive measures. [ 6 ]
The debate followed the men's under-23 team's fourth consecutive Asian Games title on 3 October, after which some players made remarks about the exemption that drew criticism. The Defense Ministry said on 6 October that it very much regrets the remarks and would push to reduce or abolish supplementary service, including for arts and sports personnel, Korea Economic Daily reported. [ 1 , 5 ]
Coverage differed in framing. Korea Economic Daily headlined its report with a quoted reminder that Ahn had opposed military exemption for BTS, while Chosun Ilbo, citing Sports Chosun, described the players' military-related remarks as careless and said they had provoked anger. Newsis headlined Ahn's demand for a presidential decision, though the body of its article dealt with an unrelated rocket launch. No decision on the exemption has been reported. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The debate covers the arts and sports military service exemption that national team athletes and arts personnel receive, and politicians from both the opposition and the ruling party are now discussing changing or abolishing it. Government bodies, including the Defense Ministry and the Culture Ministry, have said they will review or consult on the system, though no decision or timetable has been reported.
Key facts
- People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said on 7 October that the exemption for Asian Games gold medalists should be reviewed for abolition from this tournament, and that President Lee Jae-myung can decide because it is set by presidential decree, not law. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Ahn said career interruption is a problem all young people face, and cited BTS, Lee Chan-hyuk and Woods as having raised the country's standing after serving; he also noted Lee Jae-myung took a negative view of a BTS exemption as a 2021 presidential candidate. [ 3 , 5 ]
- People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik said on 7 October that all who received the exemption should be verified by the Military Manpower Administration and related agencies. [ 3 ]
- Jung said arts and sports personnel must serve 34 months and perform 544 hours of public service, and that there are many claims that even 23 days of volunteer work is not properly carried out because of document forgery. [ 3 ]
- Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said times and the country's standing have changed and the targets and method of the exemption should be greatly adjusted, adding that lawmakers have already proposed bills ranging from abolition to limiting it by sport. [ 6 ]
- At a National Assembly audit, Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Gye-won proposed a points system that accumulates international competition results, and Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young said the ministry would collect opinions and consult the Defense Ministry and the Military Manpower Administration on comprehensive measures. [ 6 ]
- The Defense Ministry said on 6 October that it very much regrets remarks by some players about the exemption and would push to reduce or abolish supplementary service, including for arts and sports personnel. [ 1 ]
- The controversy followed the men's under-23 team's fourth consecutive Asian Games title on 3 October and remarks by some players about military service in interviews after the final. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said on 7 October that the exemption should be reviewed for abolition from this Asian Games and that President Lee Jae-myung can decide, because the rule is a presidential decree rather than a law. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The controversy followed the men's under-23 football team's Asian Games title and remarks by some players about military service exemption. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Which players made the remarks and what exactly they said. The documents refer only to “some players” and do not name them or quote them.
- Whether the military service exemption will be abolished or amended, and when. No decision is reported; Ahn said it is up to the president, while the Democratic Party says it will review the system.
- Whether the alleged document forgery in volunteer service has been substantiated. Jung said there are many such claims, but no investigation result is reported.
- The scope and timetable of the Defense Ministry's stated plan to reduce or abolish supplementary service. The plan is reported by one outlet with no further detail.
- Whether the Democratic Party will back abolition or a narrower adjustment of the exemption. The account of the party's internal review comes from a single outlet and no decision has been reported.
- The Defense Ministry said on 6 October that it very much regrets the remarks and would push to reduce or abolish supplementary service, including for arts and sports personnel. Reported by a single source so far
- Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young said the ministry would collect opinions from sports and arts circles and consult the Defense Ministry and the Military Manpower Administration on comprehensive measures. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- South Korea's men's under-23 team wins its fourth consecutive Asian Games title; remarks by some players about military service exemption in interviews after the final cause controversy. [ 5 ]
- The Defense Ministry says it very much regrets remarks by some players about military service exemption and will push to reduce or abolish supplementary service, including for arts and sports personnel. [ 1 ]
- People Power Party floor leader Jung Jeom-sik says on Facebook that all who received the exemption should be verified by the Military Manpower Administration and related agencies. [ 3 ]
- People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo says on Facebook that the exemption should be abolished from this Asian Games and that President Lee Jae-myung just needs to decide. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok says on the party's YouTube channel that the targets and method of the exemption should be greatly adjusted. [ 6 ]
- At a National Assembly audit, Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Gye-won proposes a points system and Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young says the ministry will seek comprehensive measures. [ 6 ]
- Korea Economic Daily publishes its report on the ministry's position and Ahn's call. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report on Jung Jeom-sik's and Ahn Cheol-soo's statements. [ 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes its report on Ahn's call and the decree provision. [ 5 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily publishes its report on the opposition and ruling party positions and the parliamentary audit. [ 6 ]