Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min will return to the South Korean military? It's possible. The South Korean National Assembly brought up the story of Son Heung-min's military service obligation.

All healthy men in Korea must fulfill their military service obligations. In the case of sports athletes, they must be at least third in the Olympics and first in the Asian Games to be exempted from military service.

Son Heung-min won the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Thanks to this, he was exempted from military service.

However, even if he is exempted from military service, he must do the minimum duty. This is why Son Heung-min returned to Korea in the spring of 2020, when the Premier League was suspended due to COVID-19.

And for three weeks, he conducted basic military training in the Korean Marine Corps. And Son Heung-min has to do 544 hours of volunteer work within 34 months of receiving basic military training.

If Son Heung-min fails to fulfill 544 hours of volunteer work during the given period, he must fulfill his original military service obligation. Son Heung-min is due for volunteer work on May 2, 2022. Of course, the target of volunteer work is for the people and local communities of the Republic of Korea.

However, Son Heung-min had difficulty volunteering due to COVID-19. By August 2021, Son Heung-min had done 249 hours and 10 minutes of volunteer work. Son Heung-min mainly gave advice to young Korean football players through online live video conferences. Although there is a time difference between South Korea and United Kingdom, Son Heung-min did his best in difficult situations. He also did various activities at the Korean Embassy in London.

The problem is that Son Heung-min can volunteer online for 272 hours out of 544 hours, but the remaining 272 hours must be done offline in South Korea.

Son Heung-min will have to do 294 hours and 50 minutes over the next six months. It is difficult to fill even if you do volunteer work for an hour every day. Son Heung-min has to train at Tottenham and fly to play in the Europa Conference League and play away games over a long distance. And you have to travel a long distance to participate in the Korean national team.

Can Son Heung-min do volunteer work until May 2022? It is also an offline volunteer work, in the situation of COVID-19. According to the current Korean law, if Son Heung-min fails to fill his volunteer work, he must go to the military. If he refuses to join the army and continues to play at Tottenham, he could return to Korea and face court, and in the worst case, he could be imprisoned for evasion of military service. This is why the Korean National Assembly brought up the story.

Chung Chung-rae, a member of the South Korean National Assembly, met with the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the National Assembly and talked about the military service of elite players who are active outside of Korea, including Son Heung-min.

Chung Chung-rae told the minister that Son Heung-min may not be able to meet the volunteer hours, so measures should be taken. Rep. Chung Cheong-rae argued, "Son Heung-min can fall into a very difficult situation, so consider ways to replace his volunteer duty."

Hwang Hee, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Korea, said, "Son Heung-min and other athletes are playing a role in promoting the national image. I will think about various ideas," he said.

Of course, Son Heung-min is unlikely to stop all activities at Tottenham and join the Korean military because he does not meet the volunteer hours. Most of the Korean people think Son Heung-min is doing a great job for the country and are proud of him. Son Heung-min has been properly exempted from military service obligations, and the public thinks Son Heung-min is doing his best to fulfill the given situation.

The issue is likely to be resolved by raising the issue of members of the Korean National Assembly and the government's efforts. However, as it is a part of changing the law, time and procedure can take a little bit.