| Hyun-Jun Seok. [게티이미지] |
[헤럴드경제=민성기 기자] It is reported that Seok Hyeon-jun (31), a former Korean national football team member who is on the Military Manpower Administration’s list of dodgers, is planning to return to Korea to fulfill his military service obligations.
According to the JoongAng Ilbo on the 30th, an official from Seok Hyun-joon’s side said, “Suk Hyun-jun decided to return to Korea and has been preparing for several months. I think I will,” he said.
In this regard, a European soccer agent said, “When Seok Hyeon-jun broke up with Troy last month, the Middle East team offered him an offer, but the player said he would return to Korea soon.”
After debuting with Ajax, a Dutch professional soccer team in 2010, Seok Hyeon-jun played for 11 teams including Porto (Portugal), Trabzonspor (Turkey) and Troyes (France). He made 15 appearances for the senior national team and scored 5 goals.
However, Seok Hyeon-jun, who missed the opportunity to receive special military service due to his failure to win the medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, returned to Korea before turning 28 in 2019 and stayed in France without permission, violating the Military Service Act. He filed an application for extension of overseas stay with the Military Manpower Administration and lost, but he did not fulfill his military service obligations.
In early 2019, the Military Manpower Administration granted permission for a temporary extension of stay abroad (3 months) for the purpose of ‘organizing housework for enlistment’, but following delaying his return, his passport was invalidated due to an accusation by the Military Manpower Administration, and his name was placed on the list of people avoiding military service.
It is presumed that Seok Hyun-joon, who stayed in Europe until he broke the law, decided to return to Korea because of his family. Hyeon-jun Seok, who married a Korean woman in Europe, gave birth in 2020, but it appears that he has not been easy to support his family as an illegal immigrant.
However, it is not expected to be easy to return to Korea due to financial problems such as penalties caused by the early termination of the contract with the former team Troyes.
Immediately following entering the country, Seok Hyeon-jun will be investigated by the Military Manpower Administration and the National Police Agency. According to Article 94 of the Military Service Act, a person who has not returned to Korea within the period of permission is sentenced to up to three years in prison.
