Athletes with Major Achievements Fully Deserve Military Exemption

Multiple nations around the globe are currently mandating military service to their people, and Republic of Korea - the only divided country in the world - is obviously not an exception. While it is a duty that every man has to equally fulfill, the government provides exemptions to athletes who obtain desirable results from international contests, such as the Olympics, the Asian Games, the World Cup, etc. While some assert that it is not in accordance with the principle of fairness, I believe that the privilege should be firmly maintained since it efficiently motivates athletes to enhance national prestige, and because of that athletes can sustain their careers only during their youth.

To begin with, military exemption is a significant motivation for athletes to make contributions to national stature. It is obvious that providing strong incentives lead to correspondingly desirable results. In Korea, military exemption is an incredible privilege which cannot be attained through any substitutive mean. Hence, it is certainly attractive enough to induce athletes to bring utmost achievements to the country. For example, Son Heung Min – currently the best professional soccer player in Korea – is engaging in special training sessions organized by the best trainers in the world in order to maximize his performance level in the upcoming Asian Games, as it is the very last opportunity in his career to challenge for the military exemption. Thus, it is clear that exempting athletes from military service effectively boosts their drives to win medals and trophies for the country.

Furthermore, athletes inevitably have careers which is applicable to a highly limited part of their lifetime. Unlike most of the individuals, it is impossible for athletes to maintain their physical performances after their twenties and thirties. Henceforth, military service is a fatal obstacle to them since it is mandated within the same period of their careers. For instance, Cha Beom Keun – one of the greatest soccer players not only in Korea but the world history, had to leave German professional soccer league and return to Korea for his duty at the pinnacle of his career. If only he could earn the privilege of exemption, he must have had more developments throughout his ten years of short career, and Korean national team also could have benefited by yielding better results in global contests. Therefore, it is safe to say that athletes’ absolutely short career span should be taken into consideration regarding their military service issue.

In conclusion, potential privilege of military exemption highly motivates athletes to perform well; thereby enhancing the country’s reputation. Moreover, athletes’ time limitation in career span has to be taken into account. Thus, I strongly assert that Korean government’s policy to exempt superb athletes from military service is viable.