“Not Going to the Military” Mockery Sets the Ball Rolling... Calls to Introduce a “Military-Service Mileage” System Rock Committee Audit

[Financial News] The controversy over military-service exemptions for athletes, which erupted immediately after the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, ultimately heated up the parliamentary audit. With some athletes’ ill-advised remarks following their gold-medal wins serving as the catalyst, a “points system” that combines results from international competitions has emerged as a leading alternative to the existing “one-off, lottery-style exemption.”
Former footballer Im Min-hyeok appeared at a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 23rd, pointing out the limitations of the current military-service exemption system and suggesting ways to improve it. The audit drew attention as it took place shortly after some members of the U-23 national football team, who had recently won gold at the Asian Games, made inappropriate remarks.
Lee Gi-hyeok, the team’s captain at the time, shouted “I’m not going to the military” in a broadcast interview while holding his gold medal, and Yang Min-hyeok drew widespread criticism for saying, “I played with only one reward in mind: exemption from military service.” Park Seung-su added fuel to the criticism that he was mocking the military-service system by posting a selfie on social media wearing a cap marking discharge from military service.
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Cho Gye-won asked for views from those in the field, saying, “At a recent audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, I proposed moving away from benefits based on results at one-off competitions and introducing a points system that combines cumulative achievements and contributions.”

While stopping short of supporting a complete abolition of the system, Im Min-hyeok said, “I fully support introducing a points system to evaluate results at international competitions,” adding, “It should be entirely possible to establish reasonable scoring criteria that take into account the level of competition and the characteristics of each sport.”
A practical alternative was also proposed for athletes who serve as active-duty soldiers. Im Min-hyeok emphasized, “The number of places available in Sangmu (the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps) is extremely limited, so most athletes aren’t even given the opportunity. A system that allows athletes who meet certain activity requirements to defer enlistment until age 35 or 40 is urgently needed.” He also called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to put in place practical support measures to help athletes who complete their military service as active-duty soldiers without military-service benefits return without losing their feel for training.
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