Lee Gi-hyuk

go there specifically for this thing.

And so the captain of the team this year was Lee Gi-hyuk, who is 26 years old.

So he was one of the overage players.

And because he's 26, This is his last chance to get an exemption before he has to quit his professional career to then go join the military for two years and then try to pick it up again.

Everyone knows what their real goal is, but you're not really supposed to say it.

So Lee Gi-hyuk makes the mistake of, during the interview afterwards, holds up his medal and announces, I'm not going to the military, just gleefully shouting it out.

I was so ready to be on his side if this was like someone caught a video of him on the sideline.

You know, just fist pumping or something.

South Korea's national men's soccer team claimed their fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal after defeating Japan, but the celebration quickly turned into controversy over comments about military service exemptions.

Team captain Lee Gi-hyeok shouted about not having to join the military while lifting the gold medal, and Yang Min-hyeok was even more direct, suggesting the military exemption was his main motivation for playing.

The players' reactions, including photos mimicking discharge ceremonies, drew criticism online, with some comparing the behavior to mocking injured soldiers.

This stands in sharp contrast to when Son Heung-min won gold at the 2018 Asian Games, where he immediately credited the fans and urged his junior teammates to keep sacrificing for Korean soccer rather than focusing on the exemption.