The North Korean combo of , Shin Yu-bin , and , Lim Jong-hoon , took the bronze medal in the mixed doubles table tennis celebration at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, ending the government’s 12-year Olympic table tennis award drought.
The victory over Hong Kong extended the Koreans ‘ prize drought and even had a specific impact on Lim, who will now be exempt from the first month of his mandatory military service.
” I tried to think of the bronze medal suit as just one game, but I did feel the weight. I’d be lying if I was n’t thinking of ( the military service )”, Lim said after the win. “( Teammate )  , Jang Woo-jin , even told me I would n’t be human if I did n’t think about the military”.
Jang had previously served his mandatary time as a member of the military-operated , Sangmu Table Tennis Club, a fate that awaited Lim if he failed to win a prize in the European capital. Instead of serving 18 months with the military, Lim is then free to be a full-time sportsman or manager of his game.
As , South Korea , is technically still at battle with , North Korea , — a peace agreement was not signed for the 1950-53 Korean War, but the two sides reached an armistice — all able-bodied people are mandated to provide between 18 and 21 times in the military. A few elite athletes can spend the majority of their time playing their sport on military sports teams. However, Korean athletes still bear a significant burden because their careers are limited at a young age.
” To be honest, I think it’s thanks to ( Shin )  , Yu-bin , that we won. I keep jokingly telling her how thankful I am, referring to her much younger teammate, who had already won gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.
If it was Lim, a first-time Olympian, that became a champion of the Asian Games, he would not have had to worry about his pending military duties in , Paris.
Military “exemption”
South Korea’s military provides benefits to athletes and artists for outstanding achievements in their fields, including the de facto military service exemption for those who win gold at the Asian Games or a medal of any color at the Olympics.
Technically, they are incorporated into the Art and Sports Personnel force for 34 months, not exactly exempt from the service itself. They are required to work in their respective fields for the duration of their service and are discharged after four weeks of basic combat training.
Former MLB All-Star , Choo Shin-soo, for example, qualified for the benefits after winning the gold at the 2010 Asian Games in , Guangzhou. He was still regarded as a member of the South Korean military despite playing professionally for the Cleveland Guardians for the following two years in the US.
During the service period, one must hold a job in their particular field. An athlete can continue to benefit from his retirement or release from his team by changing to a different profession, perhaps coaching, at a lower level.
This sparked an internet meme of “exemption-roid ( exemption+steriod )”, likening the superb performance of a national team athlete during crucial events for military benefits to that of an athlete juiced up by illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Choo in the 2010 tournament went on a tear by hitting .571 (8-for-14 ) with three home runs while recording 11 RBI, eight runs, three steals, and 10 walks with an on-base percentage of.750.
As a South Korean citizen, Choo would not have been able to play professionally in the US if he had not won the gold medal in 2010. As such, even the , Cleveland , fans were keeping a keen eye on the Asian Games, an event that is not typically covered extensively in the US media.
However, Choo has been criticized by Korean fans for repeatedly refusing to play for the national team since 2010. He has said it was to recover from recurring injuries, which have hampered his post-2010 career significantly. However, the fans accuse him of abusing what they believe to be his duties, urging one of the greatest Korean players to play for the nation’s team in the history.
After being exempted themselves, Choo was then compared to other national team players.
Park Chan-ho, the winningest Asian pitcher in MLB history, donned the national team uniform until 2007, nearly a decade after winning the gold in the 1998 Asian Games. He was given the affectionate moniker “legitimate military exemption broker,” indicating that he assisted his younger teammates in obtaining military benefits from significant sports events.
Soccer superstar , Son Heung-min has also been a committed member of the men’s national team, leading the team as the captain years after winning the military benefits in 2018.
Over the years, the system has also sparked controversy, the most notable of which was about fairness. No benefit exists for pop music artists, but athletes and musicians who play classical or traditional Korean music can apply for art and sports personnel.
BTS’ fans were outraged when the boyband was forced to take a break because the members ‘ military service was required. As of July, only Jin has been discharged from the military, with the remaining six members still serving.
Who else received military benefits in , Paris?
The shooter pair of , Park Ha-jun and , Keum Ji-hyeon came up short of gold in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team competition on Saturday, but the silver medal meant that 24-year-old Park will not have to worry about a career gap due to military service. He was scheduled to enlist in March of that year, but thanks to the victory, he stays on the current team.
The men’s archery team notched a third straight gold medal in the team event, meaning the 20-year-old , Kim Je-deok is now eligible for an Art and Sports Personnel post. For his older teammates,  , Kim Woo-jin , already got the benefits as a high-schooler back in 2010, and , Lee Woo-seok completed his mandatory duties in 2019.
Gold-medalist fencer Oh Sang-uk had already received military benefits with his past Asian Game gold, as did bronze-medalist swimmer , Kim Woo-min.
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