Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean striker Son Heung-min will
report to a marines boot camp later this month to fulfil military service
duties, a report said Thursday.
All able-bodied South Korean men are obliged to serve in the
military for nearly two years, making up the bulk of Seoul’s 600,000-strong
forces—who face off against North Korea’s army of 1.3 million.
But Son was spared a career-threatening stint as a conscript
when South Korea took gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, earning the
team an exemption.
The Spurs star broke down in tears of joy after the 2-1
extra-time win over Japan, which meant he could fulfil his obligations with
just three weeks’ basic training and around 500 hours of community
service.
The 27-year-old’s Premier League season ended even before
the coronavirus outbreak spread to Europe when he broke his arm against Aston
Villa on February 16, and Spurs said he returned to South Korea for “personal
reasons”.
Son will report to a marines boot camp on the island of Jeju
on April 20 for his basic training, an industry source told the South’s Yonhap
news agency.
He posted images online Wednesday of himself exercising on
what appeared to be a large balcony, skipping and stretching.
The Premier League is postponed until at least April 30 because of the pandemic and is likely to be delayed even longer when the English game’s stakeholders meet on Friday.
