Defense ministry balks at calls to exempt WBC players from armed service

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense ministry balked Tuesday at
suggestions to exempt four World Baseball Classic (WBC) players from mandatory
armed service at home.
"This isn't something that can be instantly determined based on winning or
losing," Won Tae-jae, spokesman at the Ministry of National Defense, told
reporters.
South Korea lost 5-3 in the WBC final against Japan on Tuesday.
Four South Korean players on the WBC squad, including Choo Shin-soo of the
Cleveland Indians, are subject to at least two years of compulsory armed service.
Draft dodgers can be punished with a prison term of up to five years.
The law allows exceptions if a player wins an Olympic gold or his team finishes
at least third in the Asian Games.
A number of South Koreans, including Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Park Chan-ho,
have benefited from the exceptions.
A ruling party lawmaker said this week that he plans to push for a revision of
the law so that players who reach WBC finals are also eligible for exemption.
"There is no change in the stance of the defense ministry," Won said, asked
whether his ministry has considered backing the calls.
"Public opinion isn't the sole factor," he said.
South Korea has 655,000 troops, faced with North Korea's 1.2 million soldiers, as
the sides ended their 1950-53 Korean War with a truce rather than a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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