Son Heung-min to Receive Military Training as EPL on Hold

Son Heung-min /Reuters-Yonhap

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur will undergo three weeks of military training this month to fulfill a condition of his exemption from mandatory military service.

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He is expected to receive the training at a Marine Corps camp on Jeju Island from April 20, a source said on Thursday. "This is why he returned to Korea last week", less than a month after undergoing arm surgery here and rejoining his team in the U.K.

The English Premier League has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Son was exempted from mandatory military service after Korea won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. He participated in the tournament as a wild-card player.

Instead, he is required to receive the three-week training and complete 544 hours of community service over the next 34 months.

It seems Son has chosen to receive the training with the Marines because they reduced the training period by a week to three weeks last year, whereas Army training lasts for four weeks.

However, if the EPL, which is on hold until April 30, decides to resume in May, he may delay his training schedule and return to the U.K.