Korean Democratic Rep. Jeon Ki is planning to propose a bill that could postpone the enlistment in Korea’s mandatory military service for individuals who have made significant contributions to the country’s global image, according to a report by Naver. And one of the examples used in the report was League of Legends star Faker.
Under the current military service law, an individual’s enlistment can be postponed if they’re a student who attends a high school or higher school, if they’re taking a course determined by a training institution, or if they’re excellent in the field of physical education to promote national prestige, according to Naver.
The upcoming bill will reportedly allow an individual recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism as an excellent person in the field of popular culture and arts to apply to delay their enlistment until the age of 30. If this legislation goes into effect, pop culture artists and esports athletes who have passed the screening process may be deferred from enlistment until they’re 30, regardless of academic performance.
If this comes to fruition, Faker would be able to continue his professional career in League for six more years—if he desires to keep playing for that long.
A couple of years ago, another bill like this was passed for Olympic gold medalists, who were exempted from the two years of mandatory military service and instead had to do four weeks of basic training.
This bill may go through different amendments before the final version is approved by South Korean legislature.
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