Cleveland Indian Shin-Soo Choo celebrates South Korea's win over Taiwan on Friday.
Cleveland Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo helped South Korea's baseball team clinch the gold medal Friday from defending champion Taiwan in the 16th Asian Games. But will it be enough to exempt him from serving in South Korea's military?
Cleveland's general manager seems to think so, even though, as of Saturday, the Indians have not received official declaration from the Korean Baseball Office, according to MLB.com.
"We have not received official word from the K.B.O. that he's been granted a military exemption," Chris Antonetti told MLB.com. "But, based upon our understanding prior to the Asian Games, as well as past precedent, it's our understanding that Choo's military obligation will be waived."
Even Cleveland's budding star acknowledged that the thought has crossed his mind.
"Honestly, if [I told you] I didn't think about the military service, I might be a liar," he told Korean reporters, according to MLB.com.
"But it wasn't the primary reason to join in national team. I love baseball, and whenever I put the national flag on the shoulder, I am really proud of my nation and myself."
All able-bodied South Korean men over 20 are required to serve at least two years in the military, according to the Korea Times.
Korean athletes are offered the prospect of exemption from military service if they take home gold in the Asian Games, "a huge motivation for them to mark good results."
Ten members of the winning baseball team will get the exemption, the paper reported, without specifying whether the 28-year-old Choo would be one of them.
Choo's contributions to South Korea's 9-3 win over defending champion Taiwan included two hits, two RBIs and a stolen base. During South Korea's undefeated tournament streak, he hit at a .571 (8-for-14) clip with three home runs, six walks, eight runs scored and 11 RBIs for South Korea, according to MLB.com.
Privately, the team never worried that they'd lose Choo to the Korean military, Cleveland Plain Dealer sportwriter Paul Hoynes said. Choo would have established residency in the United States if the issue couldn't be resolved diplomatically or on the diamond.
As a Cleveland Indian, Choo has hit .300 with 22 home runs, 90 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 144 games. He is also the only Indians player since 1901 to record a .300 average and at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in consecutive seasons.
The question of military exemption could still play into the Indians' attempts to sign him to a contract extension. He is eligible for arbitration in January, but Cleveland plans on exploring a long-term deal, MLB.com reported.
"I think it's important to remember that Choo is under club control for the next three years, but we'll certainly look at the opportunity to extend that relationship beyond that," the website said.
"We certainly value him and are hopeful that he'll be a Cleveland Indian for quite a long time."
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hey if Elvis had to serve his country, why wouldnt this yahoo? not a patriot to his own country, fail....
There are US soldiers on duty in Korea so this coward can play baseball in the US.
@ytuque. As a former paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, no one forced me to join the US Army. We are an all volunteer military and there are plenty of morons like you sir that never have to worry about serving in our military. No one forces us to serve. What's your point?
Conscription is slavery. It should be outlawed in all countries. If you can't raise an all volunteer army to defend your country, then it isn't worth defending.
I agree. Any Joe Blow can see that this is true.
So what I'm hearing is – South Korea is not worth defending, yet we have US Troops stationed there.
Joseph,
The DMZ needs to be protected, otherwise North Korea would just take over South Korea. South Korea is a very small country. If people were given the choice to join the military, they wouldn't have enough people to defend their country, and yes their country is worth defending. Besides, if there was no South Korean military, then the United States would up our contingency there to ensure the South Koreans were protected, and also to maintain a foothold in that location of the world. We in the United States value our freedom, so our society just believes that all other countries should follow our way of life. We shouldn't judge other countries on our standards.
U.S. citizens believe joining the military should be a choice, rather than fulfilling your duty to your country as a citizen, which by the way protects the freedoms we enjoy. Many draft eligible U.S. citizens even carry the opinion that they shouldn't be drafted during war time, because they pay taxes which pays for the military, thus that should be good enough. That type of thinking is wrong, because even military members pay taxes.
Did you know that every male 18-25 is obligated to serve 8 years in the United States military. That is why we register for the draft. This is also why service members who enlist sign up for a total of 8 years, usually divided between active and inactive time. What I think is wrong, is our military's stop-loss policy. Just because our military can't get people to enlist, doesn't mean the government should force people who have served their military obligation, to continue serving against their will. If anything, they should draft people in to support the "war" effort, and make the U.S. citizens who have not fulfilled part of their obligation do their time. I'm also a believer that women who are 18-25 years old, should be forced to register for the draft as well. They are currently on the front lines, and do a fine job defending their country, so why shouldn't they register? Also, female military members who get pregnant should not be allowed out of the military, just because they become pregnant. Stopping pregnant women from being released from the military, would also help maintain the military's strength.
I will relinquish my stance that Shin-Soo Choo should do time in the South Korean military, only because his government stated that he should not have to do his time if they obtained a gold medal. I still think that it is still unfair to the rest of the South Korean males though.
Sgt J, when were you drafted? What's that? You weren't? You joined voluntarily? Oh, I see.
KP for you, son.
Let's see – we have American GI's walking the DMZ while this potato gets a wavier from serving his country because he plays baseball. Um ha !
If you, as a US military member, serve in Korea for a one year tour, it is not because you were "forced." No one raised your right hand for you, and no one forced you to repeat the oath to serve. You put on that uniform on your own free will and so do I. We live in a country that allows both men and women the CHOICE to join. Not every country is like that. So South Korea has a mandatory military policy – which can be exempted. Shin-Soo has the chance to live his dream of being in America and doing what he does for a living – playing baseball. Funny, I thought that was what the American dream was all about – coming to this country and fulfilling your destiny.
I would also like to point out, that I would take a 365-day Korea tour over a year-long Afghanistan deployment any time.
The US government hasn't needed to draft us for a long time. Why? For several reasons. Love of country has been confused with love of government by many parents, so once their children reach 18 they are easy prey for priests and preachers to con them into confusing love of country with love of God. Paid militia replace a lot of would-be draftees. Soldiers in foreign armies are lured away to fight in our stead by outfits like Colin Powell's Combat Services Ltd., with promises of American citizenship should they survive. With all that help, there is simply no need for a draft.
The coward should serve his country.
Did you serve yours
The Nazi political party, once in power, began an aggressive miltary expansion. Those German citizens who had not confused love of God&Counrty with love of one's government were treated brutally by their fellow countrymen. They wound up dead or in a Fatherland security prison. (aka concentration camp) Their destinies are not unlike those wished upon some by others in this very blog.
All of you couch potato guys leaving comments in here that he should serve, all the while telling your Daddy's war stories, should move on to the next one. Don't say he should serve if you haven't served. Anybody who has served knows that people get out of serving for stuff way more stupid than playing pro baseball. It's a long process to be allowed to leave comments in here and some of yall haven't qualified. So lose your beer gut, go to the recruiter, go down to MEPS, raise your right hand, ride the bus down to Ft. Benning for basic, go to AIT, RIP, whatever else you do, report to your unit, fly to Iraq/Afghanistan (1,2, 3 or even 4 times) and THEN come back and start leaving comments on here.
I think certain countries have mandatory military service for young men so the slimy wealthy men can have all the young ladies. In Utah they have towns where young men are scared away so the older men can get the spring chickens. Lovely world we live in eh?
So according to 31D, in WW2 Germany, only Nazi soldiers should be allowed access to the comments section of the newspaper. What a narrow minded grunt you have become 31D. You should seek therapy before this gets you in trouble.
All able-bodied South Korean men over 20 are required to serve at least two years in the military, according to the Korea Times.
Sounds like a good policy for the USA, except it should be extended to females as well. Being in the military might help teach today's generation something about responsibility and maturity@mdash;as well as how to function without a Blackberry constantly at the ready.
"I'm taking my talents to South Beach... I mean, South Korea..."
@Rob: Before you do percentages of the population you should remove people over the age of 35 and younger than 18 from the total population of the U.S. There are tons of retired military and ex military over the age of 35. Probably leftovers from WW2 and Vietnam. After you remove the ineligible or retired from the population totals you will get the real number. It seems you didn't find math class attractive eh?