Son Heung-min of the Tottenham Hotspur FC was listed as one of the top five recruits in his unit as he completed three weeks of mandatory military training stipulated for adults by South Korea, on Friday.
The marine corps of South Korea published pictures of Son handling an M-16 assault rifle and saluting on their Facebook page as he completed his short military course at a boot camp.
All physically fit South Korean adult men are obliged to serve in the military for nearly two years, which makes up the bulk of Seoul’s 600,000-strong forces — who stand against North Korea’s army of 1.3 million.
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However, Son was in the South Korean team that was exempted from the army by winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games that took place in Indonesia.
The Spurs striker was full of tears of joy after their team beat Japan – 2-1, in the extra-time of the final match. This however, meant he could fulfil his obligations with just three weeks’ basic training and around 500 hours of community service.
In April he reported to the marines camp he was assigned to on the island of Jeju for the basic training, which consisted of lengthy hikes, rifle practice as well as tear-gas training.
According to a spokesperson for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, Son was judged among the five best recruits out of 157 on his course,
“Son did exceptionally well in all areas of training, including military ethics and security education,” he told the AFP
“He indeed is world-class. I’m a die-hard Son Heung-min fan,” wrote one South Korean marine veteran.
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The Premier League has been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus and no date has yet been set for a resumption.
Son is currently the top Asian goalscorer in Premier League history, and the Asian Football Confederation’s reigning international player of the year.