South Korea to scale back athlete military exemptions

South Korea will scale back military exemptions for elite athletes after public backlash over footballers celebrating exemptions they earned by winning Asian Games gold, ministers said Wednesday.

Able-bodied South Korean men are usually required to perform between 18 months and two years of military service before the age of 28. Asian Games gold medallists and Olympic medallists of any colour receive an exemption and instead undergo weeks of basic military training.

Sports minister Chae Hwi-young told lawmakers during a parliamentary audit that there was "a broad public consensus that the system should be made fairer and subject to stricter standards".

"We have no choice but to move in the direction of scaling it back," Chae said. He said relevant government agencies would prepare comprehensive measures, but gave no details.

At a separate session, defence chief Kang Shin-chul said his ministry's goal was to "gradually scale back the exemption and ultimately abolish it".

The backlash followed South Korea's Asian Games football victory last week. Team captain Lee Gi-hyuk said in a post-match interview: "I am not going to the military." A video of Newcastle United under-21s player Park Seung-soo wearing a military discharge cap tilted to one side and saluting with a smile also drew criticism.

Both players apologised. Lee, a 26-year-old defender in the domestic K League, described his remarks as "thoughtless".