Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im will not have to serve nearly two years in the Korean military after a dominant performance this weekend. While the golf world was focused on the Ryder Cup and the drama surrounding Patrick Cantlay, the most important tournament in golf sports actually took place in China.
South Korea mandates 21 months of military service for all men before the age of 35. Im is 25 years old. Kim is 28. They were both set to serve their country in the next 10 years.
However, that is no longer the case. There is a way out.
Any South Korean athlete who wins an Olympic medal, or a gold medal at the Asian Games is exempt from the obligation. They do not have to serve.
Kim and Im skipped the British Open back in 2021 to focus on the Olympics for that exact reason. But neither of them won a medal.
That made this past weekend their next opportunity.
Kim and Im competed for South Korea alongside Yubin Jang and Wooyoung Cho, who will begin their professional careers later this month. They ran away with the gold medal at West Lake International Golf Course in Hangzhou, China and finished with a massive 25-stroke win.
As a result, Kim, Im, Jang and Cho are exempt from military service. None of them will have to serve 21 months for South Korea.
Im, the No. 27-ranked golfer in the world, shot 26-under par and finished second overall.
Kim, the No. 38-ranked golfer in the world, shot 23-under and finished fourth overall.
Not only did Im, Kim, Jang and Cho win the gold medal in dominant fashion, they lifted a massive weight off of their shoulders. Had this weekend not gone as well as it did, Kim and Im would have had their next opportunities to secure and exemption at the Olympics in Paris next summer. The next Asian Games will take place in 2026.
Both of those tournaments will remain important, but they won’t have military service looming over their heads during either competition. Sang Moon Bae never quite regained form after his military service. That is no longer a concern for Im and/or Kim!