'Military exemption was all that mattered': Yang Min-hyuk welcomed back by club after Asian Games gold

Yang Min-hyuk, 20, received a warm welcome from his club KVC Westerlo of Belgium after returning with a gold medal from the Asian Games as a member of South Korea's national team.

Westerlo posted a video Wednesday (Korean Standard Time) on its official social media channels showing the entire squad celebrating Yang's return from the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a gold medal.

Players lined up in two rows to applaud Yang and present him with a bouquet of flowers. The club captioned the post: "Yang Min-hyuk is back — give him a warm welcome!" Yang, visibly caught off guard by the surprise reception, broke into a faint smile.

Yang helped South Korea beat Japan 1-0 in the Asian Games final at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Saturday, assisting Eom Ji-sung's winning goal.

His triumph was quickly overshadowed by an unexpected controversy, however. In a post-match interview, Yang said, "The gold medal, the trophy — none of that matters. I only had eyes on the military exemption," drawing criticism that he had treated his mandatory military service obligation too lightly.

As the backlash grew, Yang issued a public apology. He said representing South Korea at the Asian Games had been deeply meaningful in itself and that he had given everything to win. He added that his remarks had been misunderstood — what he had meant was that the military service benefit was one of several motivations that drove him to perform at his best, not that it was his sole reason for competing.

Yang is currently on the books of English club Tottenham Hotspur and was loaned to Belgian first-division side Westerlo ahead of this season. The move marks his fourth loan spell, following stints at Queens Park Rangers, Portsmouth and Coventry.