Ahn Cheol-soo, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, sharply criticized remarks by some members of South Korea's men's football team about the military service exemption they earned by winning gold at the Asian Games, asking whether the military is "a facility people loathe." He called for a review of the exemption granted to Asian Games gold medalists, saying it "should now be reconsidered."
Writing on Facebook, Ahn said it was "deeply dismaying that this is the level of awareness among players who compete wearing the national flag as members of the national team."
"One player proudly said that neither the gold medal nor the trophy mattered, that he was looking only at the military exemption, and that he practiced with 'Letter of a Private' playing," Ahn said, referring to a well-known Korean song about military conscription. "Another player posed for a photo in the locker room wearing a discharge cap." He added that "even the team captain boasted in an official interview that he would not be going to the military, mocking those who do," and asked: "Are the many young men who enlist every year all suckers?"
South Korea beat Japan 1-0 in the men's football final of the Asian Games at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, a day earlier, claiming a fourth consecutive title in the event.
Ahn noted that "a few days ago, a soldier on the western front lost a foot to a North Korean landmine," stressing that "serving the country is a phrase that should be reserved for sacrifices like that."
He also said the players "have completely forgotten the respect of a country and the consideration of a people that honor those who raise the national profile, all over a single 'exemption goal.'"
"Aren't there plenty of players who win championships and bring home gold medals without a military exemption?" Ahn said. "A military exemption is utterly unwarranted for national team players who disgrace the country and despise the military."
