When the Korean national team beat Japan 1-0 to earn the gold medal at the recently concluded 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, it was a sweet victory set against a background of consistent rivalry between two strong Asian football teams. It was the team's fourth consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games. The majority of the players are now eligible for alternative service in lieu of regular mandatory military service under the 53-year-old system that grants the privilege to Asian Games gold medalists and Olympic medalists. For some of the Korean players, the victory sadly focused on the practical gain of being exempted from military service. "I'm not going to the military," football team captain Lee Gi-hyuk said in a post-game conference as he held up his gold medal. Teammate Yang Min-hyuk said in a postgame interview that the military service exemption was at the top of his mind during the Games, while winger Park Seung-soo posted a photo of himself in the locker room wearing a reservist cap, which is commonly worn by soldiers after being discharged. The Korean baseball team, which defea