As everyone is familiar, South Korea has a strict rule of every man performing a mandatory military service for three years before they reach the age of 28, although a few exceptions can be made.
We’ve seen the members of BTS being enlisted in the military, with Jin and J-Hope already starting their service. It was also revealed that all other members would join the service by this year’s end.
Apparently, the South Korean Esports Players can skip the mandatory military service on one condition: If they can win a gold medal in the Asian Games. This is not limited to only Esports because Son Heung-min, Tottenham’s forward, was also exempted from mandatory military service after winning a gold for his country at the 2018 Asian Games.
How Are South Korean Esports Players Skipping the Mandatory Military Service?
The video game industry is estimated to be around $200 billion worldwide, which is something not even the music and film industries haven’t attained combined. So, its influence has spread like wildfire in the past decade.
In fact, South Korea is quite a big shot when it comes to participating in professional gaming since the days of faster internet, as they have dedicated TV channels to broadcast certain games.
So, Lee Sang-hyeok, also known as “Faker” in the game of League of Legends, and several other players are expected to skip the mandatory military service if they can attain a gold medal in the ongoing Asian Games.
South Korea has a team of sixteen professional gamers who compete in several competitions, and whichever player wins a gold medal for their country can reduce the mandatory military service of 18 months to three weeks, which, although not a complete exemption, is a substantial leeway.
In this year’s Asian Games, several globally sensational games are being held, including League of Legends, Arena of Valor, PUBG Mobile, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V, and FIFA Online 4.
On September 23, 2023, the first day of the Asian Games, Lee Sang-hyeok’s team defeated both Hong Kong and Kazakhstan by a vast margin, perhaps their motivation to save their Esports careers from the mandatory service performed better under pressure.
While this exemption hasn’t been there all this time, it was recently introduced by South Korea’s Ministry of Defense in 2020 that according to Article 68-11(1)(5) of the Military Service Act Enforcement Decree, any individual participating in Asian Games will be able to skip their mandatory military service as long as they win a gold medal for their country.
With Faker, who is also nicknamed “The Unkillable Demon King” in League of Legends, leading their team, they may actually bring gold medals for their country this year.
Previously, in the 2018 Asian Games held in Indonesia, South Korea finished second while China won first place. So, we will have to wait and see how they perform this year and whether they can outwit Chinese gamers to gain a considerable advantage over others in their careers.
So, what are your thoughts on this exemption of mandatory military service for Esports players?
Do you believe BTS, which also brought so much pride and fame to the country, should be exempted from their duties?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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