South Korea captain Lee Gi-hyuk has apologised after celebrating his Asian Games gold medal by declaring he would not have to complete mandatory military service.
The 26-year-old made the remark following South Korea’s 1-0 victory over hosts Japan, a result that grants the team’s players an exemption from the country’s usual 18-to-21-month military commitment, apart from brief basic training.
Lee later acknowledged that his comments were thoughtless and apologised to those currently serving as well as supporters of the team. The Gangwon FC player said he regretted speaking carelessly and would reflect on his conduct.
South Korea offers military service exemptions to Asian Games gold medallists and Olympic medallists, with football star Son Heung-min among the athletes who have previously benefited from the policy.
Couldn’t believe the words coming out of Lee Gi-hyuk’s mouth at the end of the win.
Celebrating on the pitch is one thing but post game interview he talks about avoiding the military (he would have had to enter in 9 days if he didn’t win exemption) and how he would joke with his teammates about that, and at the end of the interview, says “I’m not going to the military”🥴
Similar words and actions by Yang Min-hyeok and Park Seung-soo have stirred outrage with some government officials calling for their exemption to be stripped. The players have since apologized. 🙏
Nonetheless, incredibly tone deaf, moronic to rub it in this way. More than these young players, I view this as a massive failure by the @thekfa to not provide media training/education for these young lads. You woulda thought they had. 🤦♂️
— Joel Kim (@KNTFootball) October 4, 2026
