{
  "id": 12320759,
  "title": "South Korea captain apologises for gloating over military service exemption",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/south-korea-captain-apologises-for-gloating-over-military-service",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T06:43:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport Football",
    "slug": "bbc-sport-football",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c6wy4xd80xyvo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "South Korean soccer captain Lee Gi-hyuk has expressed regret for gloating over his military service exemption following his team's gold medal victory at the Asian Games. After winning the final against Japan 1-0, Lee displayed his gold medal and announced he would not be serving in the military. However, the 26-year-old later issued a social media post expressing deep remorse to those currently fulfilling their military obligations and to the supporters who had backed the team. South Korean males are typically required to serve between 18 and 21 months in the military before turning 28, but winning an Asian Games or Olympic medal can grant a service exemption. Other athletes who have avoided the military through this route include golfer Tom Kim and former Tottenham footballer Son Heung-min. Lee acknowledged that as an adult, he should have been more careful with his words and expressed his regret over speaking \"so carelessly.\" He also committed to reflecting on his actions and sincerely apologized to the fans who had supported the team wholeheartedly and were making efforts to complete their military service.",
  "summary": "Lee Gi-hyuk apologises for gloating about avoiding South Korea's mandatory military service by captaining his country to the football gold medal at the Asian Games.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "Soldiers searching for land mines find South Korea’s 600 years old gun",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/soldiers-searching-for-land-mines-find-south-koreas-600-years-old-gun",
        "published": "2026-10-06T05:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}