Glenda's Legs
Paul Walsh
I think it is taken as a pretty serious obligation and attempts to find ways around it
are not well received. Found this about Park Chu-Young (although he was clearly suffering from lack of good judgement anyway) :
There’s also the Park Chu-young route. Park, a big star in his homeland, left the K-League for Monaco in 2008 at the age of 23. Always wanting to play for a seriously big club in Europe, he joined Arsenal in 2011 to the surprise of many, and not just because of his level of perceived ability. It seemed strange to join a club that Park, then 26, would have to leave shortly after to fulfill his military obligation.
But the player had an ace up his sleeve, one he produced in March 2012. In Monaco he obtained a ten-year residency visa which his lawyers managed to use, via a little-known legal loophole, to postpone his service by a decade. It left those at home unhappy at another example of the rich and famous using their status to get privileges not available to the average man. Park’s reputation there has never recovered, though ironically, that summer he won total exemption at the Olympics.
It could be that Son will use a similar loophole. There’s no reason take that route now, as there is still time to claim an exemption, but as a last resort? It’s possible. Delaying military service would still be controversial, but not being the first helps. If Son can approach his situation in a more intelligent and sensitive way than Park, it might make a difference in the public’s eye, especially if he continues excelling at the highest level.
http://fusion.net/story/135321/son-heung-min-military-service-in-south-korea/
Depends how fussed Son is about his reputation at home, patriotism etc. Although hopefully he will get his medal this year (or at future Olympics/Asian Games before he reaches 30) so it becomes a non-issue.
