# South Korea signals cuts to athletes’ military exemptions after Asian Games backlash

https://mins.news/en/item/89749

- Al Jazeera, 2026-10-07 13:38 UTC
- Sports
- Original: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/7/south-korea-signals-military-exemption-cuts-for-gold-medallists-after-backlash-at-athletes-asian-games-comments?traffic_source=rss

> South Korea’s sports minister says the government will review military-service exemptions for gold-medal-winning athletes after backlash over comments by men’s football players following their Asian Games final win against Japan. The defence ministry says it plans to reduce or scrap the supplementary service system for artists and athletes.