WIREDGOV

Despite decades of public debate, South Korea cannot conscript its athletes and performers fairly while still maximising their soft power contribution.

He was so close to making history, but the moment never came.

Chan Sung Jung, revered worldwide as The Korean Zombie, came closer than almost any male athlete to delivering East Asia its first UFC championship. In three consecutive bouts, he unleashed a seven-second knockout, claimed a ‘Submission of the Year’ victory and fought tooth-and-nail with one of mixed martial arts’ all-time legends. But even these remarkable feats could not spare him from South Korea’s military service, which tore him from the Octagon for nearly four crucial years at the height of his career.

How Defence Dulls Star Power

Jung’s experience epitomizes a recurring tragedy within South Korea’s cultural and sporting arenas, where the nation’s mandatory 18-month conscription erodes the technical precision of its athletes and invites irrelevance for its performers. Even BTS, the country’s cultural crown jewel, was compelled into a three-year group hiatus until last year, and acclaimed actor and singer Cha Eun-woo had to suspend multiple high-profile film projects upon his enlistment in July 2025.

Yet exemptions are reserved for a narrow echelon of global achievers, including Olympic victors and laureates of 35 arbitrarily chosen competitions, a category that encompassed just 220 individuals from 2008 to 2018. This system dismisses the prowess of both those excelling in other disciplines and those who fall infinitesimally short of the prescribed threshold; for instance, only Asian Games gold medallists are relieved of service, while similarly gifted silver medallists are not. Moreover, the policy impedes the momentum of emerging talents whose potential might have translated into landmark successes, especially in fields such as combat sports and golf, where participants often peak in their early thirties.

A cardinal focus might be to minimize prolonged career interruptions whilst ensuring these individuals still serve a total duration similar to that completed by ordinary male citizens

To their credit, South Korea’s administration has allowed conscripted professional athletes to maintain their skills through the Korean Armed Forces Athletic Corps, but this provision suffers from glaring limitations. Athletes in these units are deprived of access to their personal coaches, customized nutrition plans and specialized recovery protocols, while still required to perform regular military duties. Furthermore, competition is predominantly restricted to domestic leagues, substantially narrowing the quality of their teammates and opponents and thereby diminishing the exposure to elite talent that is essential for their progression.

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