As a Korean, I’m curious about how foreigners view this, so I’m asking.
In Korea, there is a system where artists or athletes who meet certain criteria and win awards at international competitions can be exempted from military service. (Technically, they still have to complete about one month of basic military training.)
The world-famous soccer player Son Heungmin also became a hot topic when he was exempted from the military right after winning a gold medal at the Asian Games through this system.
The criteria are as follows.
For athletes in all sports:
-Winning a gold medal at the Asian Games
-Winning any medal at the Olympics, regardless of the color
For artists:
Generally, placing second or higher in
-25 international Western classical music concours.
-5 international dance concours.
(Additionally, 6 domestic traditional music & traditional dance competitions also qualify for this benefit.)
I heard this system was created during the military dictatorship era.
At that time, nationalist sentiments were much stronger than now, and winning at international competitions was widely seen as bringing glory to the nation.
So, back then, winning in international competitions could be considered a sufficient act of patriotism.
However, now the perspective is shifting to seeing such international awards not as the nation’s glory but as personal achievements, and some people feel this system itself is unreasonable.
Of course, South Korea’s conscription system, which tries to draft most people without much leniency, has some somewhat abnormal aspects compared to other democratic countries that emphasize human rights. Since many people suffer under this conscription system, it’s understandable that some feel a relative sense of deprivation.
I’m curious about your opinions.
submitted by /u/Embarrassed_Clue1758
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