South Korea’s Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim will have dual motives Wednesday night when the Olympic men’s golf tournament starts. Winning a medal would be nice, yes, but doing so also means they could avoid a career-halting stint in the South Korean military.
Military service is mandatory for adult South Korean men, who for the most part have until the age of 28 to enlist and serve at least 18 months (women may volunteer to serve but are not required). But since the 1970s, the South Korean government has carved out exemptions to compulsory military service for international athletic achievement. Anyone who wins any medal at the Olympics or a gold medal at the Asian Games can mostly forego their service.
