South Korea's Asian Games football captain, Lee Gi-hyuk, has apologised after boasting that his gold medal exempted him from military service. The 26-year-old defender made the remark to reporters after South Korea defeated hosts Japan 1-0 in the men's final in Toyota on Saturday, securing their fourth consecutive Games title. Able-bodied South Korean males are typically required to serve 18 months to two years in the military before age 28, but Asian Games gold medals and Olympic medals of any colour earn an exemption, reducing service to weeks of light basic training. Exemptions are a sensitive topic in South Korea, and athletes usually avoid discussing them publicly.
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