After winning a football gold medal, they boasted about being 'discharged mothers' by saying, "I'm not going to the military," but ,,,,,,,,, ruling and opposition parties say, "We need to revise the military service exemptions."

After winning gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the men's under-23 national soccer team faced heavy criticism for expressing their feelings about winning by saying "I won't be going to the military" or sharing photos of themselves wearing 'discharge caps.' As a result, voices from both ruling and opposition parties are calling for a reorganization of the special military service system for arts and sports personnel. Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party, appeared on MBN's 'Jung Woon-gap's In-Depth Analysis' on the 4th and said, "Reorganizing the special military service exemption system for arts and sports personnel is absolutely necessary." He continued,,,, "When the system was established in 1973, there was a desperate need to boost national prestige, so we were considerate accordingly," and added, "But now, the situation has changed a lot with reduced troop resources, shorter military service periods, and the expansion of sectors like semiconductors that enhance national prestige," ,,,. "A strong public consensus is already forming," and added, "It was a persistent issue during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, but in the end, nothing was fixed. I believe the Lee Jae-myung administration needs some form of improvement." Similar voices were voiced in the opposition, but People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won said, "Since the state has offered military service as compensation, it's only natural for athletes to play based on that," adding, "The problem isn't the athletes, but the outdated system," and added, "Now, special military service exceptions for arts and sports need to be reconsidered." Park Sung-hoon, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, also said on the 5th, "The Taegeuk mark is not a 'free pass' to avoid military service," and added, "The military service exemption system for arts and sports personnel should be thoroughly reviewed in a way that the public can accept." That's what he argued. Spokesperson Park said, "Calling for absolute abolition or maintaining it is not the answer," adding, "If we redesign the standards by considering the level of competition in each event and international standing, and maintain the system   , we must strengthen corresponding service and public responsibility," he said. ,,,Actually, since winning the gold medal,,, not going to the military is actually a reward, so I understand the phrase "I won't go to the military." Still,,, I have to say it silently!! You have to openly get and use a discharge cap and make a fuss??? and what should people who have been hit and run in the military say something like this??? So they think there's no way to ,,, and just get through it with their bodies??????