South Korea at the Asian Games

Common card · No. 294426

The Republic of Korea has competed at every celebration of the Asian Games except the 1951 Asian Games, including hosting the Summer Games in 1986, 2002, and 2014 and the Winter Games in 1999. South Korean athletes have won a total of 2,235 medals at the Asian Games and have won a total of 249 medals at the Asian Winter Games, with short-track speed skating and speed skating as the main medal-producing sports. However, South Korea never finished at the top of the medal table of an Asian Games (the closest was in 1986 edition). Male athletes receive an exemption from mandatory active-duty military service by winning a gold medal at the Asian Games or any medal at the Olympic Games. They instead complete basic military training and a short period of community service, a policy designed to reward achievements that raise national prestige. Introduced in 1973 by the dictator Park Chung Hee, the policy has faced increasing domestic debate regarding civic equity and whether athletic achievements...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Original: Government of the Republic of Korea Vector: Great Brightstar and others, Public domain