Heung-Min Son (손흥민)

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Andrew Y said:
It's a complicated issue because cases like Son is almost none out of 250,000 men who get enlisted each year. I can only speak the legal side as a lawyer, and unless the law changes it's impossible to avoid national service. Now as to postponement, Sonny is technically postponing his national service at the moment because the clock starts ticking when you turn 18. Under the current law, you can postpone until you turn 29, so Sonny can technically play for any professional team until 2022. Now, it gets complicated because Sonny does not play in Korea. Under the current law, Sonny must return to Korea by 2019 because he has not served military. He can then continue his career in Korea until 2022 (or serve 2 years first then continue until he retires).

For purposes of Son's career, his best bet is though, to go play in Korea this summer (assuming he does not win the Asian Games). As you said, athletes do have finite careers, and the best solution the Korean government/the National Assembly came up with was giving exemptions for winning certain medals and creating military sports teams where athletes can continue participating in their respective sports in lieu of military service. The issue is that the cut off age for the military soccer team is 27, plus, you must have graduated from high school and been a K-League (the Korean professional league) player for at least 6 months in order to be eligible. So Sonny doesn't qualify for that as he did not finish high school. Sonny can join the police soccer team instead (a 3rd tier league team) but they also have a requirement to be a K-league player for at least 1 full year. So one way or another, if Son wants to at least play soccer for 2 years (instead of working inside a cubicle), he needs to go back to Korea (by 2019 under the law) and join one of the teams there before he turns 28, and play at least 1 year in order to be eligible for a police team. Trust me, a lot of Korean athletes, celebrities, relatives to politicians, and laymen have tried to find a loophole over the past 68 years, and the law has gotten super strict as a result.
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In my right mind, I've already succumbed to the Asia Games or bust.

It's 'funny' I'm not one for 'different rules for the rich' so I'm conscious of my 'Spurs goggles' and all that, but the later part of that just sounds stupidly convoluted and needlessly oppressive.

As per prev. post, I'm definitely curious if he's enough of an icon for the public to get behind him tho'.


You guy likely to win the Asian Games? .....How much would it cost to rig that shit? :levystare:
 
Andrew Y said:
Other than winning the Asian Game, the only possible way for Sonny would be if the National Assembly were to pass a new law regarding military service/exemptions (I'm thinking similar to what Turkey and Israel are currently doing - pay money for exemptions), or to change the constitution regarding the mandatory military service for all men as a civic duty. But, based on the past bills that were introduced in the last 5 years, I can fairly assume that a new law would more likely focus on gradually reducing service time (from 24 months to 18 months effective in 202x, then 12 months effective in 203x, etc) and eliminating all exemptions (gasp).

Fame wouldn't get you anywhere for sure. Psy (a "Gangnam Style" singer) had to serve his 2-year mandatory military service "twice" (so 4 years in total) because he "neglected" his mandatory duties during the first time (he held concerts and produced music while he was serving). You can argue that he was not "international" prior to Gangnam Style, but I'm not aware of any Korean who has gotten an exemption based on international fame. If anything, fame would work against avoiding national service b/c of the media and scrutiny.

So, again, the only option for Sonny is winning the Asian Game in August, which is certainly do-able with the current squad IMO. Though Korea's record is poor - won 4 out of 17 Asian Games (1970, 1978, 1986, and 2014). I believe Leverkusen was certainly taking this record into account when they didn't let Sonny to play in 2014, which fooked him over. But Korea's U-23 coach is very experienced to do well within Asia, and the current U-23 squad might be Korea's golden generation.
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They should have kept Psy doing national service until the end of time for his crimes against music.
 
Alternative Scenario:
Levy hires a crack squad to infiltrate Son into North Korea. Striking deep into enemy territory, Son infiltrates Kim's camp under the cover of darkness, and while Kim gorges himself on the feasts harvested by though denied to his peasants, Son steals away to Kim's private quarters, where the lonely and wanton Ri Sol Ju lies waiting for the attention of a real man. Son completes a flawless hat-trick, and steals away before his presence is even suspected.

Returning to a hero's welcome, military deferment, news of a military coup in the North, and Samsung signing a multi-billion sponsorship deal with Spurs.
 
If he’s going to be assigned to civil service anyway, why couldn’t they just fix him a job at the Korean embassy in London? Seems a sensible compromise, especially if due to all the restrictions he’s basically going to be sat in a chair with a dunce cap on doing fuck all in Seoul for 2 years anyway.
 
MemphisWill said:
If he’s going to be assigned to civil service anyway, why couldn’t they just fix him a job at the Korean embassy in London? Seems a sensible compromise, especially if due to all the restrictions he’s basically going to be sat in a chair with a dunce cap on doing fuck all in Seoul for 2 years anyway.
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I hope for you.
Son’s history is incredible
 
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Andrew Y said:
It's a complicated issue because cases like Son is almost none out of 250,000 men who get enlisted each year. I can only speak the legal side as a lawyer, and unless the law changes it's impossible to avoid national service. Now as to postponement, Sonny is technically postponing his national service at the moment because the clock starts ticking when you turn 18. Under the current law, you can postpone until you turn 29, so Sonny can technically play for any professional team until 2022. Now, it gets complicated because Sonny does not play in Korea. Under the current law, Sonny must return to Korea by 2019 because he has not served military. He can then continue his career in Korea until 2022 (or serve 2 years first then continue until he retires).

For purposes of Son's career, his best bet is though, to go play in Korea this summer (assuming he does not win the Asian Games). As you said, athletes do have finite careers, and the best solution the Korean government/the National Assembly came up with was giving exemptions for winning certain medals and creating military sports teams where athletes can continue participating in their respective sports in lieu of military service. The issue is that the cut off age for the military soccer team is 27, plus, you must have graduated from high school and been a K-League (the Korean professional league) player for at least 6 months in order to be eligible. So Sonny doesn't qualify for that as he did not finish high school. Sonny can join the police soccer team instead (a 3rd tier league team) but they also have a requirement to be a K-league player for at least 1 full year. So one way or another, if Son wants to at least play soccer for 2 years (instead of working inside a cubicle), he needs to go back to Korea (by 2019 under the law) and join one of the teams there before he turns 28, and play at least 1 year in order to be eligible for a police team. Trust me, a lot of Korean athletes, celebrities, relatives to politicians, and laymen have tried to find a loophole over the past 68 years, and the law has gotten super strict as a result.
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Here's a hypothetical situation. Let's say he gets a high school equivalent degree and Levy sells him on the cheap to a k-league team who then loans him back. Does that count as belonging to a k-league team long enough to qualify him for the military teams?

And if so, can he then play for the military team(s) for his military service? And could he be loaned to another team (like... I don't know... Spurs maybe) for two years? :levyeyes:
 
Lukeas said:
Here's a hypothetical situation. Let's say he gets a high school equivalent degree and Levy sells him on the cheap to a k-league team who then loans him back. Does that count as belonging to a k-league team long enough to qualify him for the military teams?

And if so, can he then play for the military team(s) for his military service? And could he be loaned to another team (like... I don't know... Spurs maybe) for two years? :levyeyes:
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Easier trying for the gold on the next Asian game 9r Olympics whatever. Trying to maneuver around the rules as described not only sounds almost impossible but undignifying
 
Korean win against German was not a good win for the Korean Football for the long run. It will only provide excuse for the current Korean Football Association to stay on which is a horrible and just about the worst thing can happen to Korean football and its people who have to suffer every 4 years.
 
Luvf said:
Easier trying for the gold on the next Asian game 9r Olympics whatever. Trying to maneuver around the rules as described not only sounds almost impossible but undignifying
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Oh don't get me wrong. I certainly hope that Son earns exemption. I was just wondering about hypotheticals.
 
The Korean win against Germany itself was a such an incredible feat because
1 it was Germany
2 the Ref was calling just about everything for the Germans because Fifa wanted Germany to advance for the show.
3. They officially added 3 min on top of the already official added min of 6 totalling 9 min. I am sure the ref would have given another extra 5 min on top of the 9 min had Germany tied the game at 1:1 instead of Son killing it with a goal making it to 2:0.
So it was like Korean 11 vs German 11 plus refs plus Fifa. The Koreans still came away with the victory.
 
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Stopspot said:
Apparently the Korean national team were pelted with eggs upon arriving back on Seoul.



Leave our Son alone : ostrich::wansum:
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Right, that provides a way.

:sonhmm:

When he's next in London, he claims asylum - South Korea is just TOO dangerous a place for him to be. Not only do the North Koreans want to shoot him, but his own countrymen are pelting him with eggs. Walk into the Embassy and come out officially as a Brit.

:sonlol:

Fuck I'm bright. I should be driving around with Diplomatic number plates and avoiding the congestion charge with a brain like this.

:sonpoint:


Oh, Boris as my boss

:pochfacepalm:
 
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