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Sonny - Guardian article re South Korea military service / Asian games

Woland

Brave™ Member
May 18, 2006
1,714
6,629
"Son is going to have to do what all able‑bodied South Korean males have to do: head home and report for duty. It means cutting his hair, living on less than £100 a month and learning to eat instant noodles at a speed that would win gold if such a thing were an Olympic event. "
Guardian. Noodles. Journalism.
 

Dazzazzad

Well-Known Member
Jan 17, 2006
1,232
4,367
The whole thing seems a bit nuts. He's won Asian player of the year 3 times, hasn't he? Surely that's as much of an achievement as a team winning the Asian Cup.
 

Cornpattbuck

Well-Known Member
Jul 23, 2013
6,873
15,942
Sorry, still makes no sense to me. They give the exception for individual Olympic medals don't they? Becoming arguably the best Asian player of all time is as much of an achievement for their nation as any gold medal, imo.

Couldn't agree more in this instance. It's utter balls.
 

DogsOfWar

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2005
2,292
3,603
He doesn't have to do it simply by not going back to South Korea.
If I was a multi-millionaire who could live anywhere in the world I'd just steer clear.
21 months out of football could finish his career so why risk it.
 

JerryGarcia

Dark star crashes...
May 18, 2006
8,694
16,026
South Korea have not met Daniel Levy yet. Son will get off the hook and their military will end up providing security at the new stadium.
 

Colonel_Klinck

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2004
12,637
23,217
What a backwards country, I don't even think North Korea or Saudi Arabia do this.

Nothing backward about national service. It could easily be argued it would be a huge benifit in the U.K. It would give all these feral kids some discipline and structure.
I guess we are going to have to start the season without Sonny. If he can’t get an exemption his career is going to end several years early.
 

Streetspur77

Happy Clapper
Jul 20, 2017
2,792
9,404
Nothing backward about national service. It could easily be argued it would be a huge benifit in the U.K. It would give all these feral kids some discipline and structure.
I guess we are going to have to start the season without Sonny. If he can’t get an exemption his career is going to end several years early.

Nothing backward about forcing people to join the military against their will?

Ok.....
 

Mullers

Unknown member
Jan 4, 2006
25,914
16,413
Nothing backward about national service. It could easily be argued it would be a huge benifit in the U.K. It would give all these feral kids some discipline and structure.
I guess we are going to have to start the season without Sonny. If he can’t get an exemption his career is going to end several years early.
I don't think it would make any difference at all actually. I've met plenty of twats who have done national service, it is outdated. Discipline and structure starts at home, with the parents. As far as Sonny is concerned he seem like a very focused, disciplined polite guy who has his life together. I don't think national service benefits him at all. It benefits South Korea more to have him playing for us, than going to do national service for two years and ruining his career.
 

parj

NDombelly ate all the pies
Jul 27, 2003
3,586
5,861
Maybe we start a global boycott of south Korean consumer goods from LG, Samsung and Hyundai until Son is given exemption. You reckon we can get 10m people to support? :sneaky::whistle:
 

rabbikeane

Well-Known Member
Mar 29, 2005
6,884
12,675
You'd think it would be possible to make a deal about Son. Where he does his basic training one summer, then become a guard or something at their London embassy. Add Spurs coaching team doing sessions with their army team, and a major Spurs friendly free of charge over there. Surely something can be done ...

Or maybe we can send Sissoko, bet he can take on 5 north koreans at once.
 

Colonel_Klinck

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2004
12,637
23,217
Nothing backward about forcing people to join the military against their will?

Ok.....

The poster I quoted said it was backwards and not even Saudi or North Korea had national service. My point is that list of countries with national service can hardly be described as backward. I've a couple of Greek mates who both had to go back and do their 9 months in the army and although they weren't keen at the time they loved the experience once they'd returned to the UK. They aren't being sent to war, just military training. Personally at 19 I was raving my nut off every weekend and so would have hated going, looking back it could have been a positive experience though.
Austria
Cyprus
Denmark
Egypt
Finland
Greece
Iran
Isreal
North Korea (ok this is backward but maybe the poster should have used google ;))
Norway
Russia
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
that is not even all of those listed on Wiki.
 
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