The benefit has long been viewed as a way to protect elite sporting careers while recognising major international achievements. Olympic medallists and Asian Games champions can replace full military service with a shorter alternative that includes basic training.
But the footballers’ comments have shifted the argument from sporting merit to public fairness.
Yang Min-hyuk, who provided the assist for the winning goal, said: “Joguei a partida pensando em apenas uma coisa: a recompensa da isenção do serviço militar.” The Tottenham Hotspur loanee later apologised, as did Lee and Newcastle United midfielder Park Seung-soo.
Park’s social-media post, featuring a cap associated with soldiers who had completed their service, added to the controversy rather than calming it.
Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young has argued that the system once helped outstanding athletes continue developing, but public attitudes towards equality and national service have changed.
The Defence Ministry has also indicated that the supplementary service could be reduced or abolished for athletes and artists. Politicians have pressed the issue further, with Ahn Cheol-soo calling the players’ comments absurd and asking whether young men who enlist each year should be considered “tolos”.
The comparison with BTS members, who completed military service, has made the debate even more politically charged. Supporters of reform say sporting fame should not create a separate standard; opponents fear change could punish athletes for a benefit promised under existing rules.
South Korea’s review now becomes the next major storyline. Any decision will need to balance equal treatment with the country’s long-standing use of sporting achievement as a source of national prestige.