South Korea captain apologises for military service gloat — SkimNews
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- Lee Gi-hyuk apologised in a social media post after triumphantly announcing he was "not going to the military" while holding up his Asian Games gold medal, saying he was "deeply sorry" to fans fulfilling their military duty.
- South Korea beat hosts Japan 1-0 in the Asian Games final, securing the gold medal that triggered the military exemption controversy.
- South Korean law requires males to complete 18 to 21 months of active military service before age 28, though Asian Games champions and Olympic medalists of any colour receive an exemption of less than a month of basic training.
- Golfer Tom Kim also avoided military service by winning gold at the Asian Games, and former Tottenham star Son Heung-min served only three weeks in 2020 after winning the 2018 Asian Games.
- Lee, 26, was one of the overage players in South Korea's Under-23 squad and plays for Gangwon FC in South Korea's K League.
Why it matters: Lee's gloat turned a team triumph into a public-relations misstep: while South Korean men serve 18-21 months, he celebrated dodging it after one tournament, prompting a formal apology that clawed back the goodwill of a gold-medal win.
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