South Korea’s military service exemption system for athletes and artists should have a narrower scope, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young said Wednesday.
Calls to overhaul the system have intensified following controversy over remarks by Asian Games gold medalists.
“I believe there is now broad public consensus that the system should be fairer and applied more rigorously,” Chae told lawmakers during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. “So, naturally, we have no choice but to move toward reducing the scope of the exemptions.”
He added that any changes should also take into account how to address concerns about morale in the arts and sports sectors and preserve their positive aspects, saying those issues would need to be considered comprehensively with the Defense Ministry and Military Manpower Administration.
Chae was responding to a lawmaker who called for reforms to the system, which grants special military service benefits to athletes and artists who achieve certain international competition or award results.
The Defense Ministry said Tuesday that it is considering either scaling back or abolishing the supplementary military service program for athletes and artists.
“Ultimately, we have plans to cut back or scrap the supplementary service, including one designed for artists and athletes, and reflect it in the basic outline for defense reforms,” ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said during a regular press briefing.
The remarks came after controversy involving South Korea’s men’s soccer team, which won gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, making 20 of its 23 players eligible for supplementary military service.
Some players spoke about their military service benefits, including Yang Min-hyeok, who said in an interview that he focused on securing the benefit rather than winning a medal or trophy. Teammate Park Seung-soo posted a photo of himself wearing a cap typically worn by people who have completed their mandatory service.
“From the perspective of the Defense Ministry, we are deeply sorry for the remarks made by some people in the sports industry,” Chung said, adding that the ministry hopes the sacrifices of soldiers and reservists will be respected and that a culture recognizing the value of military service will take root in society.
Regarding the remarks, the culture minister called them “immature.”
gypark@heraldcorp.com
