“Military team players are out there playing on 1.5 million won a month”... Lee Kyung-kyu rebukes national team players for “bragging about military service exemptions”

[Financial News] Broadcaster Lee Kyung-kyu has spoken out sharply against remarks and behavior by some members of the Asian Games soccer team regarding special military service exemptions.
On the 7th, a Shorts video titled “What Lee Kyung-kyu Wants to Say to the National Team Players” was posted on the YouTube channel “God Kyung-kyu.”
In the video, after the production staff brought up the recent controversy over interviews about military service by players on the men’s soccer team for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Lee Kyung-kyu sighed briefly and then launched into a stern reprimand.
Lee said bluntly, “Regardless of age, that was really, really wrong behavior,” adding, “That’s not how you speak. Military service is an extremely sensitive issue for everyone in our country, and it’s not something to meddle with.”
The controversy began after South Korea beat Japan 1-0 in the Asian Games men’s soccer final, when some players made remarks and gestures to the effect that they “won’t have to serve in the military,” in response to receiving military service benefits for winning gold medals. The issue has since become a subject of public debate, with even the possibility of abolishing the arts and sports personnel system being raised.
Lee said, “Those are things to say among the players, not in an interview,” and rebuked them: “If someone asked me, ‘Why do you work in broadcasting?’ and I said, ‘For the money,’ how bad would that make viewers feel? That’s not how you speak.”
He continued, “Medals are the crowning glory of sports. You should say you competed for honor and for your country.” He cited national team player Lee Young-jun (Grasshopper), who was discharged from military team Gimcheon Sangmu and is now playing in Switzerland, lamenting, “He was discharged, but came racing from Europe to win a gold medal. And to say a player like that won it so he wouldn’t have to serve in the military...”
He added, “The Gimcheon Sangmu players watching the interview are serving in the military and playing for a monthly salary of 1.5 million won. How envious must they be?” He continued, “I may not be in a position to say this, but attitude is the most important thing. The young players who competed in this Asian Games made a mistake, but I hope it becomes a lesson that makes them think, ‘Ah, I need to be careful.’”
[email protected] Kim Hee-seon Reporter