'Asian Games fallout'... Ministry of National Defense says it will ultimately pursue reducing and abolishing supplementary service, including arts and sports personnel

[Financial News] The Ministry of National Defense has made an unusual comment after some players made inappropriate remarks and engaged in inappropriate conduct related to military service exemptions following their gold-medal victory at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The ministry also said it plans to reduce or abolish the military service exemption system for the arts and sports sectors, which has recently become controversial.
At a regular briefing on the 6th, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jeong Bit-na said, "Ultimately, we plan to pursue reducing and abolishing supplementary service, including arts and sports personnel, by incorporating it into the Basic Plan for Defense Reform." She added that the government would "comprehensively consider fairness and equity among those subject to military service, the decline in military manpower, and public consensus."
Jeong also described the remarks and conduct by some members of the national team who won the gold medal in men's soccer at the Asian Games, saying, "The Ministry of National Defense considers the remarks made by some in the sports world deeply regrettable."
Emphasizing that "military service is a sacred duty that all members of our society must respect and regard as noble," Jeong added, "We sincerely hope that a social culture will take root in which people value the importance of military service even more."
The recent controversy over military service exemptions erupted after South Korea's national soccer team defeated Japan 1-0 to win the Asian Games title. The controversy spread after Yang Min-hyeok (KVC Westerlo) said in an interview, "Medals and trophies are not important; I think I played the match solely with military exemption in mind."
The controversy intensified over the conduct of Park Seung-soo (Newcastle), who posted a photo on social media showing himself wearing a 'jeonyeokmo'—a military discharge cap—after the match, and Lee Gi-hyuk (Gangwon), who said he would not have to serve in the military because of the gold medal. This prompted a series of calls from politicians and others to overhaul the military service exemption system for the arts and sports sectors.
As public sentiment demanding a reduction in military service exemption benefits grew stronger, some raised the possibility that the controversy could lead to the abolition of the supplementary service system. The government has already been considering including a reform plan to adjust the size of the supplementary service workforce in the new Basic Plan for Defense Reform, which is currently being drafted.
Earlier, in August, Military Manpower Administration (MMA) Commissioner Hong So-young told Yonhap News Agency, "The Basic Plan for Defense Reform will address overall how to phase down and ultimately abolish the supplementary service system, and it is in the final review stage." Regarding the arts and sports personnel system, she also said, "We shared with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism the basic direction that, for arts personnel, the number of competitions recognized for entry into the program should be reduced, focusing on prestigious competitions, and that the eligibility criteria should also be revised in stages."
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