"3rd Place Among 6 Teams and a Bronze Medal? Even Medalists Should Serve in the Military" 청 Petition Emerges

The baseball semifinal match between Korea and Japan at the Tokyo Olympics held on the 4th at Yokohama Stadium, Japan.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] After the 2020 Tokyo Olympic baseball team suffered a crushing defeat to the United States in the baseball losers' semifinal, a petition has drawn attention by demanding that even if the team wins the bronze medal, they should not be granted military exemption benefits due to their frustrating performance.

On the 6th, a petition titled "Please cancel the military exemption benefits even if the 2021 Tokyo Olympic baseball team wins the bronze medal" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

The petitioner stated, "Even if the baseball team wins the final game, I believe it is right not to grant military service benefits in consideration of the current public sentiment," and demanded, "Please cancel the military exemption benefits even if the team wins the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics baseball event."

He explained the reason for the petition, saying, "The current Military Service Special Act was enacted to encourage national prestige through sports, and military benefits are granted if an athlete wins an Olympic bronze medal or higher, or a gold medal at the Asian Games. However, the baseball team that participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has repeatedly disappointed the public due to the incompetent coach's lack of strategy and the players' continuous poor performance."

He continued, "Only the final game remains, and if they win this game, they will secure the bronze medal. It is a situation where they will receive military exemption benefits after barely placing third among six participating teams."

He added, "Who would think that the baseball team promoted national prestige at the Tokyo Olympics? Wouldn't they be the subject of ridicule worldwide? Considering the economically difficult circumstances, I believe it is unfair compared to other athletes who worked hard for four years and recorded meaningful rankings despite not winning medals."

Led by Manager Kim Kyung-moon, the Korean baseball team lost consecutively to Japan and the United States in the semifinal tournament, failing to advance to the final and now preparing for the bronze medal match. Amid criticism of their weak batting lineup, they lost 2-5 to Japan and 2-7 to the United States.

Meanwhile, the baseball team will face the Dominican Republic at Yokohama Stadium at 12 noon on the 7th to compete for the bronze medal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.