"Please Follow Geum"... European Soccer Fans on Edge Over Korea-Japan Match

If You Win Gold, Overseas Players Also Get Military Service Exemption
German Media: "Clubs Will Be Relieved"
"Please Exempt Service"... Fans Also Hope

Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), Park Kyu-hyun (Dynamo Dresden), Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Gent). These are representative overseas-based players in the South Korean men's football team for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

As the South Korean football team is scheduled to play the final against Japan on the 7th, European netizens are also paying close attention to the match result. If the football players win the gold medal at this Asian Games, they will receive military service exemptions. This also means less burden for their respective clubs.

On the 6th, fans of Lee Kang-in's club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were on edge about the outcome of this Korea-Japan match. One PSG fan posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Korea will face Japan in the final (of the Asian Games)," adding, "If Korea wins this time, Lee Kang-in will not have to serve two years in the military in his home country."

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) provided a detailed report on the victory of the South Korean men's national football team, which includes Lee Kang-in, in the Asian Games semifinal.
[Image source=X (formerly Twitter)]

Another PSG fan account uploaded a video highlighting Lee Kang-in's play in the Asian Games, cheering, "Looking forward to when he returns to PSG."

Belgian club KAA Gent, where midfielder Hong Hyun-seok plays, also shared news of the Asian Games semifinal on their official Instagram on the 5th. The KAA Gent official account posted a photo of Hong Hyun-seok with the caption, "Korea defeated Uzbekistan and will face Japan in the Asian Games final on Saturday."

Most fans wished for the Korean team's victory. Comments included, "Come back to the club soon," "I want to see you keep playing without military service," and "Korea must win this time."

Meanwhile, in Germany, local sports media directly mentioned the Asian Games. The German football specialist media 'Kicker' published an article on the 4th (local time) titled "Jung Woo-young leads Korea to the final, why Stuttgart is hoping for luck."

Jung Woo-young (left) is celebrating with Lee Han-beom as they run together after scoring the second goal in the men's football semifinal of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games on the 4th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In this article, the media analyzed, "Thanks to Jung Woo-young of Stuttgart, Korea advanced to the Asian Games final," and "If Korea wins the final, the club also benefits."

The media predicted that the experience and skills Jung Woo-young gained through this Asian Games, along with the military service exemption that is almost certain if he wins the gold medal, will also help the club.

Kicker explained, "Jung Woo-young will gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence (from winning the Asian Games)," adding, "Besides the medal, if his military service is exempted due to the tournament victory, the club and teammates will be relieved."

Meanwhile, the men's football final of this Asian Games is scheduled to take place at 9 PM (Korean time) on the 7th.

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