Lee Seo-jin's Remark Amid Controversy Over Military Service Benefits for Athletes

“All South Korean men go, so it’s not something to boast about, is it?”

As remarks and actions regarding military service by the South Korea men's national football team at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games escalate into controversy, actor Lee Seo-jin's remarks from four years ago are receiving renewed attention. In a situation where some athletes, who received military service benefits through gold medals, directly expressed their feelings immediately after winning, Lee Seo-jin's past remarks—expressing that he did not consider it a special thing to boast about even after completing his active-duty service—are being contrasted online.

The South Korea men's national football team achieved a record of four consecutive Asian Games titles by winning 1-0 against Japan in the final on the 3rd. While it was a meaningful achievement for Korean football in terms of tournament results, before the lingering excitement of the gold medal could fade, the words and actions of some players regarding military service emerged as the center of controversy. Captain Lee Ki-hyuk, during an interview immediately after the victory, held up his gold medal and said, “I’m not going to the military,” and Yang Min-hyuk also made remarks to the effect that he perceived the military service benefit as an important reward. Park Seung-soo apologized after controversy grew when he posted a photo on SNS wearing a so-called "discharge cap" in the locker room.

The players subsequently issued successive apologies, and the controversy expanded beyond individual words and actions to a debate over the military service benefit system itself. While expressing regret over the words and actions of some players, the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea reaffirmed its existing direction to pursue the reduction or abolition of the supplementary service system, which includes artists and athletes. This is the background against which discussions regarding how to view military service benefits based on international competition results and how to connect military service obligations with the achievements of national athletes have resurfaced.

In this situation, the person being summoned is Lee Seo-jin. While appearing on tvN's "You Quiz on the Block" in 2022 and discussing various misunderstandings surrounding him, he was asked a question about his military service. Due to his background as a graduate of New York University's Department of Business Administration and his known relatively wealthy family background, misunderstandings that he might not have served in the military have often been raised online.

In reality, Lee Seo-jin's history was different. On the program, he directly stated, "I am a former sergeant from active duty," noting that many people believe he was exempted from military service. He also revealed that he served as an active-duty soldier in the Defense Security Command and was discharged as a sergeant. He also explained his life path of pursuing an acting career after completing his military service.

However, what drew more attention at the time was Lee Seo-jin's attitude toward the fact itself rather than the fact of his service. In response to a question regarding why he had not actively shared the fact of his military service, he laughed it off, saying, "People think everyone is exempted from the military," and added, "All South Korean men go, so it’s not something to boast about, is it?" He meant that there was no need to present having completed military service as a special part of his history.

The reason Lee Seo-jin's remarks from that time are being noticed again is not simply because they are "the words of a celebrity who completed military service." In the recent Asian Games controversy, the fact that military service benefits are a systemic reward given as a result of winning a gold medal was brought to the forefront through the players' remarks. On the other hand, Lee Seo-jin showed an attitude that he does not even consider the fact of completing active-duty service as something special to boast about. Since these remarks were made in different eras and situations, there are limits to direct comparison, but they are being revisited because the difference in the way military service is expressed is clearly revealed.

In particular, this controversy also shows the need to distinguish between "is receiving military service benefits itself a problem" and "is it appropriate to express those benefits with certain language and attitudes." While military service benefits according to Asian Games medals are granted according to the system, it is also true that the players' remarks and actions have fueled social debate regarding the relative sense of deprivation that active-duty service members may feel and the meaning of military service obligations. The fact that the players apologized after the controversy can be seen as a result of being conscious of such social reactions.

Lee Seo-jin's past remarks are therefore being consumed not as a standard to directly judge the current controversy, but as an example showing different ways of handling the sensitive social issue of military service. It is being observed that Lee Seo-jin, who faced such strong "military exemption rumors" that he had to reveal his active-duty service late, did not package his completed service as a great achievement, which overlaps with the current situation.

Ultimately, the questions left by this controversy do not stop at the value of the gold medal or the players' performance. As long as the system surrounding military service benefits is maintained, discussions are being held on how to accept and express those benefits, and what criteria society will use to view the equity between those performing military service obligations and those receiving systemic benefits. The reason Lee Seo-jin's remark, "It's not something to boast about, is it?" which he tossed out with a laugh four years ago, is being summoned again is precisely because it connects to this social context.

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