South Korea surprised the world on Wednesday, when a 2-0 victory over Germany in the World Cup eliminated the German national team, who had won the previous event. Unfortunately for the South Koreans, this was still not enough to get them into the knockout round.
That’s bad news for South Korea’s national team, and worst news for the players, who are now facing conscription into the nation’s military, which many South Koreans see as punishment for their poor performance.
South Korea has universal military conscription, but in the past has offered exemptions for successful national sports teams. In 2002, for instance, a World Cup roster was given a full exemption, as have national baseball teams and Olympic medalists.
Fans are unhappy with this move, saying it is unfair to conscript this team, with some players heading into the prime of their careers. They fear this will hurt the national team in years to come, and are petitioning President Moon Jae-in to extend the exemption.
The petition says that the talented players are “wasted ion the military.” Officials have yet to respond to the petition. Some players may have another opportunity to win their way out of the draft in the summer Asian Games, but some, including many of the most talented players, are signed to overseas teams who don’t always let them off to participate in such events, which unlike the World Cup are not FIFA sanctioned.
Son Heung-Min, a star for Tottenham Hotspur and arguably the best player in South Korea, for instance, missed the 2014 Asian Games when his former team, Bayer Leverkusen, refused to let him play. Tottenham hasn’t addressed the matter yet.
lololololol
So their draft is like ours was. Only for those who aren’t/weren’t “talented”.
Remember those world-beating (except for 1980) USSR hockey teams? Nearly all the players were in the Red Army; their “military occupation specialty” was playing hockey.
EVERYONE is “wasted in the military”.
One of the ROK players is already in the military. He saluted when his national anthem was played during the pre-game ceremonies.
At any rate, conscription is for only two years, so the players will have plenty of time to train before the next World Cup.
Having been stationed in South Korea in the late 90s, the likely hood of these sports figures will actually serve in the regular ROK military is slim, they will most likely end up in the Katusa program stationed alongside American troops.
Those who have not been to area 1 and travelled along to the dmz, do not understand the reasoning behind the conscription military in the same way as those that have served there. While I do believe that those who are conscientious objectors should be provided alternatives to military service, I fully understand that if that military service was changed or if America was to leave there would be nothing stopping Kim’s million man army from invading.