Korea military chief 'regrets' AG footballers' exemption remarks

📰 The head of South Korea's Military Manpower Administration publicly expressed regret over Asian Games footballers' exemption remarks and backed a gradual end to the sports exemption. 📌 Key points 🏛️ Commissioner Hong So-young faced a parliamentary audit on 12 October. 😔 She called some AG footballers' remarks "very regrettable". 🤝 She said she agrees with the defence ministry on reforming the system. 📅 The sports exemption will be revised after a report due in late November. 🎖️ This year's gold medallists keep their benefits for now. 📝 What happened 🏛️ The National Assembly's defence committee audited the Military Manpower Administration at the Government Complex in Daejeon on 12 October. The row over some footballers' remarks about avoiding military service after their Asian Games gold came up again, and Commissioner Hong So-young said she found it "very unfortunate and regrettable". 💬 Hong said young men who had served were likely to feel a sense of loss, and that she takes the public's call for reform seriously. She praised BTS, all of whose members completed their service, for strengthening fairness and public trust in the system. 🗣️ Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo proposed setting a target year for abolition and reducing the exemption step by step. Hong replied that she shares the defence ministry's view that the arts and sports system must change, but added that it cannot be scrapped overnight and support measures must come first. 🎼 The arts exemption goes first: the benchmark for international competitions rises from second to first place, and domestic traditional arts contests will give the benefit to one person instead of two or three. 📊 By the numbers • Audit date: 12 October • Arts exemption benchmark: 2nd → 1st place • Sports exemption study ends: late November • Korea's AG final: 1-0 win over Japan (fourth straight title) 🔭 Why it matters With the military manpower agency now echoing the defence ministry, the long-standing 'Asian Games gold = exemption' rule looks to be nearing its end. Whether it applies retroactively to this year's medallists has not been decided, and the timing and method of the change should become clearer once the research report lands in late November.