South Korea stars forced to apologise for celebrating avoiding military service

Tottenham’s Yang Min-hyeok is among a host of South Korea players who have been forced to apologise in the aftermath of their Asian Games success. The nation secured gold at the games with a 1-0 win against hosts Japan.

Alongside gold, that achievement has also seen 20 of the 23-man squad secure an exemption from military service. All able-bodied men must serve 18 to 21 months in the military before the age of 28 in South Korea.

But an exception will see a select few complete basic training and a number of hours of community services instead. Tottenham winger Yang, who is currently on loan at Belgian side Westerlo, suggested that the real reward was exemption.

He said: "We were being compensated, and the compensation was military exemption, so it feels like we played with that one thing in mind. Honestly, whether it was a trophy or a medal wasn't important."

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But those comments have not gone down particularly well on social media, leaving Yang to apologise in the aftermath.

He said: "Hello, this is Yang Min-hyeok. I am sincerely sorry for causing disappointment and discomfort to so many people with my remarks regarding the Asian Games. Participating in the Asian Games as a representative of South Korea held great significance for me, and as an athlete, I naturally gave my all with the goal of winning the championship and the gold medal.

"However, I failed to properly convey that the military service exemption was merely one of several motivators—alongside the desire to achieve great results—that drove me forward. Regardless of my original intent, it is clearly my fault that my words caused discomfort and made it appear as though I took the significance of the gold medal lightly as a national team athlete.

"I recognise that the gold medal was not something simply guaranteed; it was an achievement made possible only through the hard work and support of many people. Furthermore, I never intended to belittle or mock the efforts of those currently fulfilling their military service obligations or those who will do so in the future.

"I sincerely apologise to everyone who was hurt or disappointed by my thoughtless remarks. Moving forward, I will strive to make amends not only through my words but by demonstrating a better attitude and a greater sense of responsibility on the field. My sincere apologies."