South Korea captain apologises for gloating about avoiding military service

The Independent

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• South Korea football captain Lee Gi-hyuk has issued an apology after gloating about gaining exemption from mandatory military service.
• Lee led his team to glory at the Asian Games by beating hosts Japan 1-0 in the final, and then held up his gold medal and declared he was “not going to the military”.
• The majority of South Korean males are required to undertake between 18 and 21 months of active military service before turning 28, but Asian Games champions and Olympic medal winners gain exemptions from the government, other than basic training which typically lasts less than one month.
• In a social media post, Lee said he was “deeply sorry to the fans”, before adding: “I deeply regret having spoken so carelessly, and I will continue to reflect on my actions.”
• Former Tottenham star Son Heung-min also secured an exemption after winning the Asian Games with South Korea back in 2018.