Comments on: Shin-Soo Choo hoping to avoid military service by playing for South Korea in Asian Games

By: Shin-Soo Choo is trying to slug his way out of the army | HardballTalk

Shin-Soo Choo is trying to slug his way out of the army | HardballTalk — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:34:07 +0000

[...] As we’ve mentioned before, Shin-Soo Choo is up against South Korea’s mandate that all able-bodied men must serve in the armed forces for two-years prior to turning 30. Choo is 28, and his military obligation is falling concurrently with his arbitration and free agency years. The straight-from-Hollywood-twist: if he can lead the Korean national baseball team to a gold medal in the Asian Games, he’ll likely get out of his commitment. Really, all this is missing is an angle in which he’s teamed with prisoners or something. [...]

By: MLB Winter Meetings/Off Season Thread - 2010 - Page 28 - MotownSports.com Message Board

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:01:35 +0000

[...] country? Yep. He must enlist for two years of service before his 30th birthday. The article: Shin-Soo Choo hoping to avoid military service by playing for South Korea in Asian Games | HardballT… [...]

By: Reflex

Reflex — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:18:11 +0000

Of course you have no issue with him not wanting to serve. You had the *choice* to serve, a choice you had because there was no aggressive neighbor threatening US liberty. South Korea does not have that luxury.
Once again, yes, I know he would have had to take the two years off at some point. But others have done so. He could have done it at 18, gotten it out of the way, played college ball and worked his way up. But thats all besides the point. The point is that its a burden that all SK men bear, including thier atheletes regardless of how rich or famous they are. There has been no compelling argument for why a special exception should be made for Choo.

By: D-Luxxx

D-Luxxx — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:58:55 +0000

Oh, I’m sorry, you mean he should have taken time off when he was competing with the other young athletes to work his way to the top of the heap? I’m assuming you’re a sports fan, and not an athlete. Two years off is quite a bit at any point in your early development. The guy signed a contract as an 18 year old, so doing it earlier in his career would have had to been either when he was trying to work his way up in the minors, or once he started to play in the majors. The fact that he’s considered a 5 tool player (he was a top pitcher before being moved to the OF actually) and it took him 5 years to make it to the majors tells me that had he served earlier in his career, he may still be in the minors (or never have played at all). As a former infantryman, I have no issues with him saying he doesn’t want to serve. Sometimes you just have to realize that some people are better than others. He worked had to be where he is, and if I where in his situation and I couldn’t get out of my service time age requirement, I guess I’d defect.

By: Reflex

Reflex — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:22:09 +0000

He had the choice to do this when he was younger. He delayed it. His countrymen, including athletes have all served without complaints. Yes it will give him a hit on his earnings, but its a hit every other person in South Korea takes, and the amounts are irrelevant in that they are all a lot for any person in their prime when they are building their career, regardless of what that career may be. The amount of money earned is meaningless to the discussion. Pop stars also earn most of thier money in their 20′s in South Korea, yet they serve without complaint, its simply expected.
And I will repeat that this situation seems excusable to americans because we do not have the experience in recent memory of having a large, aggressive hostile nation with nuclear weapons right on our border. If you lived in SK, I have a feeling you would feel very very different.

By: D-Luxxx

D-Luxxx — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:20:54 +0000

I guess the agrument against politicians, teachers and doctors is that serving two years before they are 30 would have minimum impact on their earning potential and careers. Those are long lived professions that don’t rely on strenuous physical ability to earn a paycheck. The difference with an athlete is that those years are typically (as Aaron said above) in the prime of their careers. Basically the argument is why does he have to do this now? As an athlete, one could argue that he’d still be just as fit as his younger military brethren if he where to serve his two years after his career is over. I don’t think the argument Choo is making is that he doesn’t want to serve at all, but just not in his prime.

By: Reflex

Reflex — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:38:43 +0000

1) I can’t speak for SK celebrities myself, but we certainly have plenty of examples of prefferential treatment in our country. My statement was in general, I don’t appreciate it here, and I don’t see why it should be any different for him.
2) Does any individual’s value as a single soldier outweigh their value doing any of a number of other possibilities? Of course not. But collectively the value is very high. Survival level even. Furthermore, if he can opt out because he’s an athlete, then why not those going into politics? Isn’t thier value as policymakers far more than any of their individual value as soldiers? What about teachers? Doctors? Why stop with a baseball player? Should exemptions to military service be based on celebrity or popularity?
3) The exemption for winning the tournament is a long standing tradition and it has happened only a few times. I certainly will not begrudge Choo should he get out via that method, that is the prize for the tournament. Its his attitude that bothers me, the idea that he would literally change nations simply to escape his duty to his countrymen.
This is a matter of survival for his nation. Cults of celebrity should not define who serves, the system should be fair to all. And it is fair to all. But some wish to shirk their duty, going to the extreme of disowning their own nation in order to do it.
If he follows through with this I hope he can never show his face in SK without shame.

By: Chipmaker

Chipmaker — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:14:43 +0000

Chan Ho Park led the SK team to the gold at the 1998 Asian Games and received the military exemption. So there’s precedent.

By: D-Luxxx

D-Luxxx — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:28:43 +0000

Considering that I don’t know of any other actors, celebrities or atheletes from South Korea seeking preferential treatment, I would say that your feelings towards them seems to be new found. I don’t blame Choo for not wanting to serve. Yes, North Korea is dangerous. Yes, war could break out at any time. Do you think Choo’s value as a single soldier outweighs his value as an unofficial ambassador of goodwill? Do you think that South Korea really values him as a soldier if they are willing to let him opt out if they win a baseball tournament? I think the answer to both of these questions is a resounding “No.”

By: Reflex

Reflex — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:55:27 +0000

Other militaries typically do not have such a hostile neighbor on their border. I think the best possible PR he could give the military, assuming they need such a thing since service is mandatory, would be to serve his time with a smile and a gracious attitude since the South Korean army is the only thing that stands between him and a life in a rice paddy instead of a lucrative career as a professional athlete.
I’ve never felt actors, atheletes and celebrities should get prefferential treatment. Serving in the military is not some onerous burden imposed on the people of SK, its a necessary condition for the nation’s very survival.

By: ThatGuy

ThatGuy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:35:22 +0000

While your right that he should do his time, likewise S. Korea should work with him. As arguably the best Korean MLBer right now, S. Korea should probably work with him and work out some sort of deal. Maybe 4 years of P.R./recruiting in the off season or something so he can still play. Other militaries have done the same thing.

By: Reflex

Reflex — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:08:18 +0000

Quite frankly, given South Korea’s situation with a hostile nation on their border with one of the largest standing armies in the world and a crazy man with his hands on the nuclear button running it, I’m having difficulty respecting Choo for this if the reports are correct. Few *want* to serve, I certainly do not want to take two years out of the prime of my life, however you bet your ass if Canadia or Mexico were run by crazy dictators with nuclear weapons and huge standing armies I’d do my time without complaint and be happy for the training in case the worse came to pass.
Its not an issue of patriotism or flag waving or anything else. For South Korea its simply a matter of survival. And Choo appears to be saying that his personal career and fortune is worth more than the lives of his family, friends and countrymen.