Seok Hyeon-joon (32), a striker from the Korean national football team, who was accused of not returning to Korea within the period of permission to stay abroad by the Ministry of Military Manpower (violation of the Military Service Act) was sentenced to 8 months in the prison and 2 years probation in the first trial.
On the 1st, Suwon District Court Criminal 13 Judge Kim Jae-hak told Seok Hyeon-joon, who was accused of violating the Military Service Act, “The quality of the crime is not good, like living in a foreign country and it is not return to Korea without a valid reason even after the period of stay abroad is over, and consider the purpose of the current law to ensure a fair procedure in military service. Severe punishment is inevitable,” he said.
Judge Kim added, “We considered the fact that the defendant admitted to the crime in this case, had no criminal history, and was committed to fulfilling his military service obligations as an advantage.”
While staying in France to play in a foreign professional soccer league, Seok Hyun-joon received a notice from the Ministry of Military Manpower to return to Korea by June 3, 2019, but was handed over for trial on charges of not returning within the specified period. without justifiable reasons. After leaving for France on November 12, 2018, he applied for an extension of his stay in order to move abroad in March 2019, but was refused.
At the time, Seok Hyun-joon argued, “There were unavoidable circumstances where I had to be dragged around by the club because the foreign club I signed a contract with didn’t really know what the service relationship was domestic military, and I had no choice. but rely on an agency because my language skills were not smooth.”
Seok Hyun-jun, who appeared in court that day, did not reveal his position to reporters. His father, who accompanied Seok Hyeon-jun, said, “He (the son) is trying to fulfill his duty of military service faithfully. We will make a detailed statement later,” he said. Regarding the intentionality of the delay before returning home, “It is not true. It was to the point of paying the club a penalty for returning to Korea.”
Correspondent Kim Chul-oh kcopd@kmib.co.kr
