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South Korean tennis star Kwon Soon-woo will now have to enlist for mandatory military service in his home country after he failed to win any medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Kwon, the top-ranked men's player from South Korea, lost to a player ranked more than 500 spots below him in the second round of men's singles and bowed out of the men's doubles in the semifinals to Indian pair Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan. As a result, he failed to win any medal at the event and will have to fulfill his obligation of serving in the South Korean military.
The military service law in South Korea makes it mandatory for all able-bodied male citizens between the ages of 18 and 28 to serve in the military for around 1.5-2 years as part of the country’s efforts to beef up protection against North Korea.
However, prominent sports and cultural figures can get an exemption if they are seen as promoting national prestige by winning a medal in the Olympics or the gold medal at the Asian Games.
For example, soccer star Son Heung-min was granted an exemption after he led the Korean team to a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. The Tottenham FC footballer got by with doing just four weeks of basic military training and was placed on the reserve roster. Similarly, 2014 Asian games gold medalist (in doubles) and former World No. 19 Chung Hyeon was also given an exemption.
Now, 25-year-old Kwon, alongside Hong Seongchan, the 26-year-old who was his doubles partner in Hangzhou, will soon enlist in the army to complete at least 18 months of service.
Kwon Soon-woo lost his cool after losing match at Asian Games
After losing his singles match at the Asian Games on Monday, September 25, Kwon Soon-woo had a remarkable meltdown on the court. The World No. 112 was seeded No. 4 and was bettered by Thailand’s Samrej Kasidit (World No. 636) in what was the tournament's biggest upset. Kasidit ended Kwon's hunt for a gold medal in three sets 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Kwon took his frustration out on his racket, smashing it repeatedly on the ground and against the chair until it was reduced to pieces, drawing cheers and boos from the crowd in the stands. The South Korean also did not shake hands with both the chair umpire and Kasidit.
Kwon Soon-woo later apologized for this outburst via an Instagram post where he owned up to his "reckless" behavior, which, he admitted, he should not have displayed as someone representing their nation on an international stage.
"Immediately after the end of the second round of the Asian Games Tennis Fasting Match with Kasidit Samrez, he did something reckless that he should not have done as a national team player. I sincerely apologize to all the people who supported the national team's game and to the crowd at the stadium. I'm sorry. Once again, I sincerely apologize to Simrez player who was offended by my rude behavior," Kwon said.
"I sincerely regret and reflect on the actions that were seen after the match. As a national athlete representing the country, I will reflect on the weight of the Taekuk mark carefully and be a responsible athlete, and pay attention to all actions. Once again my sincere apologies to all the sports lovers."
