South Korea’s premier football athlete Son Heung Min will be enlisting in the military on April 20 to serve his mandatory basic training, before being able to return to Tottenham and his athletic career.
According to an exclusive report from Osen, Son Heung Min recently returned to Korea to prepare for his mandatory basic military training. As part of the Gold Medal winning football team at the 2018 Asian Games, Son Heung Min and the rest of the team members were granted exemption from the military. They are required to attend 4 weeks of basic military training, and then instead of serving in a brigade, they are expected to remain engaged in their sport for the next 34 months.
The reason why Son Heung Min returned to Korea is to receive his basic military training. He had to apply for his arts-athletics exemption by the summer. As he is due to fulfill his mandatory military service, he negotiated with his club, Tottenham, to complete his basic military training now, due to the circumstances surrounding the Premier League. He will enlist with his team’s permission.
— Soccer Insider
Son Heung Min is expected to begin his 4 weeks of mandatory basic military training on April 20.
Son Heung Min, who is currently self-isolating, is planning to enlist on April 20. Of course, the plan could change depending on the situation of the Premier League and Tottenham.
— Insider
As Son Heung Min was born in 1992, the time limit for his arts-athletics exemption was set to expire around July or August of this year. Under the original plan, Son Heung Min was expected to complete the Premier League season, which generally concludes in mid-May. Then he would apply for his arts-athletics exemption, serve his 4 weeks of mandatory basic military training, and then return to Tottenham.
However with the current Coronavirus situation, Son Heung Min, who has been rehabilitating his arm injury in the United Kingdom, faced a worsening situation. Common opinion among those connected to the Premier League is that the resumption of games in May is dangerous, as the spread of Coronavirus in Europe has not decreased. There is a possibility of the League resuming, but nothing has been confirmed.
His 4 weeks of mandatory basic military training can be postponed up to two times for special circumstances, but with the fate of the season still up in the air, he is not just sitting around and waiting. If he postpones it twice, he is still expected to complete his 4 weeks of mandatory basic military training by early 2021. Therefore, the most ideal time for Son Heung Min to complete his 4 weeks of mandatory basic military training is now.
Tottenham confirmed on their website that Son Heung Min returned back to Korea for “personal reasons”. He is also currently recovering from a right arm fracture he suffered in a February match against Aston Villa. He returned to Seoul for surgery, and then flew back to the United Kingdom, spent 2 weeks in self-isolation, and then the Premier League got suspended. Son Heung Min returned to South Korea on March 27 and is again self-isolating for 2 more weeks prior to his enlistment.
