Defense Ministry calls some athletes' remarks on military service 'deeply regrettable,' vows to push ahead with alternative service cuts

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday it plans to incorporate a reduction or abolition of alternative military service — including positions for arts and sports personnel — into its basic defense reform plan, amid controversy over remarks made by some members of the national football team after winning gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeong Bit-na said at a regular briefing that the ministry would ultimately include the measure in its defense reform agenda, taking into account "equity and fairness among those subject to military service obligations, the declining pool of eligible conscripts, and broad public consensus."

Jeong said the ministry finds it "deeply regrettable" that national team players Lee Gi-hyeok, Yang Min-hyeok and Park Seung-su made inappropriate remarks after clinching the gold medal, suggesting they would not have to serve in the military.

"Military service is a sacred duty that every member of our society must respect and hold in the highest regard," she said, adding that the ministry "earnestly hopes a social and cultural environment will take root in which the value of military service is cherished even more deeply."

Meanwhile, the government has been reviewing whether to include in its new defense reform basic plan a proposal to adjust the scale of alternative service as the pool of active-duty eligible conscripts shrinks due to declining birth rates.

Military Manpower Administration Commissioner Hong So-young said in an interview with Yonhap in August that "the basic defense reform plan will include an overall framework for the phased reduction and eventual abolition of the alternative service system, and it is currently in the final review stage."

On the arts and sports personnel program specifically, Hong said the ministry and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism "share the basic direction that the number of qualifying competitions for arts personnel should be reduced, focusing on prestigious events, and that the enrollment criteria should also be gradually revised."