Kim, Naples, no national: South Korea calls him to military service

No one, absolutely no one, can escape military service in South Korea. Thus, not even Min-jae Kim could escape. The Napoli defender, awarded yesterday as champion of Italy, will not be able to be available to the coach of his national team, Jurgen Klinsmann, for this reason. The player will have to complete the three-week training period, a symbolic duration compared to the ordinary one required by law by virtue of sporting merits. South Korea will have to do without him for the friendlies scheduled for 16 June against Peru and 20 against El Salvador. The legislation is clear: all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 must serve with the armed forces for 21 months. However, there are exemptions for athletes and personalities from the entertainment world who have won international competitions recognized by the authorities. The most striking cases concern Heung-min Son, who thanks to the victory of the 2018 Asian Games had to serve only 21 days, and above all the Bts, an internationally renowned band to which the exemption has not been recognized and which for this reason had to suspend operations.

THE JUN-HO SON CASE

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In Klinsmann’s squad list, there is a name that catches the eye: Jun-ho Son, midfielder of Shandong Taishan. The player was arrested in China for corruption and despite the intervention of some emissaries of the Korean Football Federation, it was not possible to release him. “Obviously we are all shocked by Jun-ho’s situation and he has our full support. We are taking care of him, he is getting our support. We don’t know his state of mind, we don’t know what his physical state is, but I think he deserves all the support we can give him,” Klinsmann said in a press conference with journalists from the Asian country. According to some Chinese press outlets, the Korean player was arrested “on suspicion of having accepted bribes from non-state employees”.