A high-level athlete has obligations, including military ones in certain countries… unless he is a footballer and a club like PSG gets involved…
What happens to athletes in times of war in certain countries? Unfortunately, for some, there is no real privilege and the defense of the country will always be a priority. For others, a choice must be made, like the Ukrainian athletes who decided to fight against the Russians several months ago. In some countries, military service is compulsory for men. This is particularly the case for South Korea. While the duration depends on the sector the apprentices choose, service must be completed between 18 and 30 years of age.
Military service in Korea is thus divided into three different courses: the land army which lasts 18 months, the navy which lasts 20 months and the air protection whose enlistment is the longest, 21 months. There are still some exemptions granted to athletes and artists in the country and this is what PSG player Kang-In Lee, star in his country, benefited from. In 2023, just after Paris’ victory against Dortmund in the Champions League, the player flew to Korea to play in the Asian Games. A surprising decision by PSG because this tournament does not appear in the Fifa program and agreements are made at the discretion of the clubs.
Why was Kang in Lee able to play this tournament just a few weeks after his arrival in the capital? The explanation is not only sporting. Thanks to the final victory of his national team, Kang-in Lee and all of his partners saw their compulsory military service go from a minimum duration of 18 months to just 3 weeks! PSG and its player therefore had an idea in mind. Allow him to play (and win) the Asian games to escape a long military service which would have kept him away from the field for months.
To be able to validate this exemption, the events must be part of the official lists of international art and sport federations, which themselves must be recognized by the country’s “Military Manpower Administration”. For example, to the great despair of fans, K-Pop stars are not entitled to this exemption and must be absent for several months to do their service.
In football, Tottenham striker Son Heung-min also benefited from this relief after his gold medal won in 2018 with South Korea in the same competition. His service can take the form of 544 hours of community service. Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae (26) went to a training camp last summer for three weeks to undergo basic military training.
Be careful not to take this military service too lightly because in South Korea, people who refuse to report for military service are forcibly assigned to general work or receive a prison sentence which can go up to at 18 months.