The eligibility for military exemption provided to qualified athletes and musicians in Korea faced scrutiny during a parliamentary audit on Friday, October 13, triggered by the renewed debates about fairness due to the recent Asian Games.

According to The Korea Times, "Both ruling and opposition parties called on the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) to reconsider the current supplementary military system that grants elite athletes and classical musicians with much-coveted exemptions of 18-month-long compulsory military service."

Established in 1973 with the aim of enhancing national prestige, the current system grants exemptions to young males who achieve medals in international sports events like the Olympics (any medal) and Asian Games (Gold medal only), as well as top-tier classical musicians who win prestigious competitions. At the most recent Asian Games, esports players like Faker and Korea's League of Legends team received exemptions.

However, under the current system, pop-culture artists such as the global K-pop group BTS are not eligible for the exemption, although they have increased national prestige.

Rep. Lim Byung Heon of the ruling People Power Party stated, "The current system has loopholes as dozens of players of team sports at the Hangzhou Asian Games were exempted from conscription after they won gold medals in games considered less competitive, pointing out that some (of the athletes) did not even play in a game."

Calling for a comprehensive review of the current system, Rep. Lim stated, "There are suspicions that the Asian Games were used as means to provide military exemptions to players. Both the Baseball and soccer teams tended to pick players among those who haven't already fulfilled their military service."

Even the main opposition Democratic Party agreed to the necessity to revise the current alternative military service. Rep. Ahn Gyu Back, from the Democratic Party, stated, "I have called on (the MMA or Military Manpower Administration) to revise the alternative service system to handle the declining manpower resources, but the MMA has yet to come up with alternatives."

The Military Manpower Administration commissioner Lee Ki Sik also stated, "Given the purpose of creation of the current reservist system in sport and art, people may have questions whether the current system is serving its original purpose."