Deep in the heart of South Korea, in the small city of Mungyeong, stands the sprawling base of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps, which trains elite athletes enlisted in the Korean military for events like the Summer and Winter Olympics.
鈥淚 am working hard to make the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo,鈥� Byeong Cheol Kim told 麻豆传媒 between his gruelling taekwondo drills.
Like all South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 35, Kim must serve approximately two years of compulsory military service. While that could potentially derail an athletic career, the Athletic Corps allows potential Olympic competitors like Kim to focus on their sports instead of preparing to fight a war on the fraught Korean Peninsula.
"I can train here, nonstop, and not have to do any of the regular military duties like everyone else,鈥� he said.
At the Pyeongchang Winter Games, nine Korean athletes hail from this specialized military program.
鈥淲e are developing as many great athletes as we can by training them all together here,鈥� Kyungil Park, who heads the program, told 麻豆传媒.
As a bonus incentive for its country鈥檚 athletes who have yet to enlist, the South Korean government waives compulsory military service for those who place in the top three in their sports at the Olympics or Asian Games, a pancontinental sports event that is held every four years.
Veteran Handball champion Young Shin Cho had the option of getting out of his military service in the 1990s, but instead chose to enlist.
鈥淭hat way I could train with the best players in the country,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost were already serving their time."
The military鈥檚 intense training program, he added, abetted his success on the handball court and helped him earn a spot on his country鈥檚 1992 Olympic team.
"It's a system that builds winners and honour for the country," he said.
With a report from CTV鈥檚 Peter Akman in Mungyeong, South Korea
