Defense minister: arts, sports military service exemption to be cut and abolished
Version 4: The defense minister stated at the National Assembly audit that gradual reduction and ultimate abolition are the ministry's goal, hardening the position the ministry had set out the previous day; Seoul Shinmun reported that an abolition bill has been introduced and Newsis reported a Military Manpower Administration review due next month.
In short
South Korea's defense minister said on Oct 7 that the goal is to gradually reduce the arts and sports military service exemption and ultimately abolish it, after controversy over remarks by Asian Games football gold medallists about the exemption. A day earlier the Defense Ministry said it planned to reflect a reduction and abolition of supplementary service, including arts and sports personnel, in the defense reform basic plan. Newsis reported the Military Manpower Administration is running a policy review with results due in the middle of next month, and Seoul Shinmun reported an abolition bill has been introduced.
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Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said on Oct 7 that the government's goal is to gradually reduce the arts and sports military service exemption and ultimately abolish it. He was answering a question from People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won at the National Assembly National Defense Committee audit held at the Defense Ministry building in Yongsan, Seoul, according to Newsis and Maeil Business. Kang said he felt “very regretful” about remarks that disparage the sacred duty of national defense, Yonhap and Newsis reported. [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 24 ]
The statement followed controversy at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where South Korea beat host Japan 1-0 in the men's football final on Oct 3 for a fourth consecutive title. Gold medallists are eligible for the exemption. Captain Lee Ki-hyuk said after the final that enlistment had been nine days away had the team not won, and said “I'm not going to the army”; Yang Min-hyuk said medals or trophies were not important and that he appeared to have played looking only at the military exemption; and Park Seung-su posted a photo on social media of himself wearing a “discharge cap” in the locker room, according to Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily. Seoul Economic Daily also reported that Choi Woo-jin posted a video of himself limping and taking the gold medal out of his shoe. The players apologised, the paper reported. [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 17 ]
A day earlier, Defense Ministry spokesperson Jung Bit-na told a regular briefing that the ministry plans to reflect a reduction and abolition of supplementary service, including arts and sports personnel, in the defense reform basic plan. She said the ministry would consider fairness among those liable for military service, the shrinking pool of military resources and public consensus, and called military service a sacred duty that all members of society should respect together. Political circles had repeatedly argued for revising the exemption after the players' remarks. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]
Under current rules, people who have contributed to culture or national prestige in arts or sports are classified as arts and sports personnel and assigned to supplementary service. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that they undergo three weeks of basic military training and then perform 544 hours of service in their field over 34 months, while Newsis reported four weeks of basic training; the two accounts differ. The system was introduced in 1973, and sports personnel qualify by placing third or higher at the Olympics or first at the Asian Games, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun and Maeil Business. Military Manpower Administration chief Hong So-young said in an August interview that a phased reduction and abolition of the supplementary service system was in the final review stage, Yonhap reported. [ 2 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 17 ]
Newsis reported that the Military Manpower Administration is running a policy research service covering stricter limits on recognised competitions and other changes, that its results are expected in the middle of next month, and that an improvement plan could be announced within the year after consultation with the Defense Ministry. On Oct 7, Seoul Shinmun's headline said an abolition bill had been introduced and asked what would happen to Olympic medals, while Kukmin Ilbo's headline asked whether 57 people had been on the last group to receive the Asian Games exemption. Neither summary gave further detail. [ 13 , 15 , 17 ]
Park Sung-hoon, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, said in a commentary that “the Taegeuk mark is not a free pass to avoid military service” and called for the exemption criteria to be fully redesigned, taking into account the level of competition and international standing in each sport, NoCut News reported. [ 7 ]
Why it matters
The exemption is the route through which Olympic and Asian Games medallists serve supplementary duty instead of active service; if the goal stated by the Defense Ministry is written into the new defense reform basic plan, that route could be narrowed or closed. Both the ministry and the Military Manpower Administration tie the direction to fairness among those liable for service and to falling conscript numbers. The debate also covers whether professional athletes competing against amateur sides should keep the benefit, and Seoul Shinmun reports a bill to abolish it has been introduced.
Key facts
- The Defense Ministry said on Oct 6 that it plans to ultimately pursue a reduction and abolition of supplementary service, including arts and sports personnel, and to reflect it in the defense reform basic plan. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 ]
- Spokesperson Jung Bit-na stated the position at a regular briefing at the Defense Ministry building in Yongsan, Seoul, saying the ministry would consider fairness among those liable for service, falling military resources and public consensus. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 8 ]
- Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said on Oct 7 that gradually reducing the exemption and ultimately abolishing it is the ministry's goal. [ 13 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 24 ]
- Kang made the remark while answering a question from People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won at the National Assembly National Defense Committee audit. [ 16 , 17 , 20 , 22 , 24 ]
- Kang said he felt “very regretful” about remarks that disparage the sacred duty of national defense. [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]
- South Korea beat host Japan 1-0 in the men's football final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Oct 3, taking a fourth consecutive title, with gold medallists eligible for the exemption. [ 6 , 7 , 17 ]
- Captain Lee Ki-hyuk said “I'm not going to the army”, Yang Min-hyuk said medals or trophies were not important and he appeared to have played looking only at the military exemption, and Park Seung-su posted a photo of himself wearing a “discharge cap”. [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 17 ]
- The exemption system was introduced in 1973, and sports personnel currently qualify by placing third or higher at the Olympics or first at the Asian Games. [ 6 , 8 , 9 , 17 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Defense Ministry said on Oct 6 that it plans to ultimately pursue a reduction and abolition of supplementary service, including arts and sports personnel, and to reflect it in the defense reform basic plan. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 ]
- Spokesperson Jung Bit-na stated the position at a regular briefing at the Defense Ministry building in Yongsan, Seoul. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 8 ]
- Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said on Oct 7 that the goal is to gradually reduce the arts and sports military service exemption and ultimately abolish it. [ 13 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 24 ]
- Kang made the remark while answering a question from People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won at the National Assembly National Defense Committee audit. [ 16 , 17 , 20 , 22 , 24 ]
- Kang said he felt very regretful about remarks that disparage the sacred duty of national defense. [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]
- South Korea beat host Japan 1-0 in the men's football final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Oct 3, winning a fourth consecutive title, with gold medallists eligible for the exemption. [ 6 , 7 , 17 ]
- Lee Ki-hyuk, Yang Min-hyuk and Park Seung-su drew criticism over remarks and a social media post about the military exemption after the gold medal. [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 17 ]
- Political circles called for revising the arts and sports military service exemption after the players' remarks. [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the reduction and abolition will actually be adopted, and on what timetable. The documents describe a plan under review, a goal stated by the minister, and a research service whose results Newsis says are due in the middle of next month, but give no final decision or date.
- What specific criteria changes would apply to sports personnel, as opposed to arts personnel. Yonhap and Maeil Business report a direction for arts personnel only — narrowing recognised competitions around authoritative events and adjusting inclusion criteria in stages.
- Whether the athletes' remarks prompted the ministry's move or were added to a review already under way. Documents link the statements to the controversy, but also describe a review tied to falling military resources and fairness.
- How many people received the exemption at the 2026 Asian Games. Kukmin Ilbo's headline mentions 57 people, but no other document confirms the figure or states what it counts.
- The content of the abolition bill and how it would treat Olympic medallists. Seoul Shinmun reports the bill and raises the Olympic question only in a headline, with no article text supplied.
- The length of basic military training for arts and sports personnel. Kyunghyang Shinmun says three weeks and Newsis says four weeks; the two documents disagree.
- Choi Woo-jin's video of himself limping and taking the gold medal out of his shoe. Only Seoul Economic Daily reported this detail.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Oct 6: Kukmin Ilbo reports that the Defense Ministry has moved to address the controversy. [ 1 ]
- Oct 6: Yonhap reports the ministry's plan to reduce and eventually abolish supplementary service, including arts and sports personnel, and Jung Bit-na's remarks at the regular briefing. [ 2 ]
- Oct 6: Chosun Ilbo reports the same ministry position as its official response to the controversy. [ 3 ]
- Oct 6: Seoul Economic Daily reports in detail, including the Oct 3 final, the players' remarks, their apologies and the baseball team's gold. [ 6 ]
- Oct 6: Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes the ministry's statement with details of how the supplementary service system works. [ 8 ]
- Oct 7: Kukmin Ilbo's headline asks whether 57 people were on the last group to receive the Asian Games exemption and cites the defense minister on reducing then abolishing it. [ 13 ]
- Oct 7: Seoul Shinmun's headline reports that an abolition bill has been introduced and asks about Olympic medals. [ 15 ]
- Oct 7: Chosun Ilbo reports Kang Shin-chul's statement at the National Assembly National Defense Committee audit that the exemption will be reduced and ultimately abolished. [ 16 ]
- Oct 7: Newsis reports Kang's remark, his reply to lawmaker Yoo Yong-won and the Military Manpower Administration's policy research service. [ 17 ]
- Oct 7: Yonhap reports Kang's statement that gradual reduction and ultimate abolition are the ministry's goal. [ 21 ]
- Oct 7: Maeil Business reports Kang's statement at the National Defense Committee audit. [ 24 ]