Lee Kyung-kyu criticizes national team players over military exemption remarks: 'Some soldiers earn W1.5m a month playing'

Broadcaster Lee Kyung-kyu has criticized some members of the South Korean men's football team for remarks they made about military exemption after winning gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

A video titled "What Lee Kyung-kyu wants to say to the national team players" was posted Wednesday on his YouTube channel "Godkyungkyu."

When a producer brought up the military-related interviews from the Asian Games, Lee let out a sigh.

"That's something the players should talk about among themselves," Lee said. "Even if that's how you feel, you don't say it directly in an interview."

He drew an analogy to illustrate his point. "It's like someone asking me, 'Lee Kyung-kyu, why do you do this show?' and me answering, 'Because they pay me,'" he said. "Sure, I get paid — but if I say 'They're paying me, so I do it,' how bad would that make the viewers feel?"

Lee advised that players should frame their motivations differently. "That's not how you talk," he said. "You have to say you played for honor, for your country."

Lee also mentioned player Lee Young-jun, expressing regret that the dedication of those who sacrificed to uphold the nation's dignity — even after completing their military service — was being overshadowed.

"There's a player named Lee Young-jun," he said. "He finished his service at Gimcheon Sangmu and went to Europe, but still came back to chase a gold medal. And now people are saying the players won that medal just to dodge the military?"

"It doesn't matter how old or young you are — what they did was seriously wrong," Lee said.

He then turned to the players currently serving in the military. "What must the Gimcheon Sangmu players think when they watch those interviews?" he said. "They're out there playing on a monthly salary of 1.5 million won ($1,120) — how envious must they be?" He added, "There are certain areas in this country you just don't touch. The military is one of them — it's sensitive."

When someone suggested the players needed media training, Lee was dismissive. "If training could fix it, it would have been fixed long ago," he said.

South Korea's men's football team won gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday.

Controversy erupted almost immediately after the final. Team captain Lee Ki-hyuk closed his post-match press interview by saying, "I'm not going to the military." Defender Park Seung-su then posted a photo on social media of himself wearing a military discharge cap in the locker room. Midfielder Yang Min-hyeok drew the sharpest backlash after saying, "It didn't matter whether it was a medal or a trophy. I played with one goal in mind — the reward of a military exemption."