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South Korean footballer Son Heung-min of the Tottenham Hotspur club. (Hankyoreh archives)

“An act of God.”

This was how football commentator Kim Dae-gil described the induction of Son Heung-min (28, Tottenham) into the Republic of Korea Marine Corps on Apr. 20.

Indeed, the scheduled opening of the English Premier League (EPL) season in early May has been called off as the novel coronavirus situation in the UK intensifies, with no suggestion of when it might resume. Training has not even been taking place amid the emphasis on social distancing. Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho suffered from media criticism on Apr. 8 after training with Tanguy Ndombele and a few other players in a London park, offering some indication of the seriousness of the situation. Mourinho appears likely to receive a warning from police; team training looks to be effectively out of the question.

Son, who is scheduled to report to a unit in the South Korean Marines in Jeju on Apr. 20, has nearly recovered from a fracture in his right arm that he suffered in February. Tottenham, which had been checking in periodically on his condition, announced on Apr. 7 that he would be beginning his military service in South Korea -- signaling that his injury had healed enough for him to undergo military training.

“Son Heung-min will certainly be able to withstand training,” Kim Dae-gil predicted. “It’s just a matter of making the best use of his time when he’s most at leisure.”

Son needs to complete 544 hours of volunteer work during 34-month period

Son, who has been in self-quarantine since returning to South Korea on Mar. 28, will not be completely free from service obligations once he completes his three weeks of basic military training. According to the Military Service Act, he has been enlisted in the category of “arts/athletics” and will need to complete 544 hours of volunteer activities during his 34-month service period. Since last year, he has been contributing to charity campaigns in the UK and South Korea as circumstances have allowed. But it’s a long race -- one that would take 28 weeks (seven months) straight to complete at a rate of four hours a day five days a week, or 20 hours a week. It’s also not the sort of activity that can be taken lightly. As a key player both for the EPL and for the South Korean national team, Song is sensing the pressure of having to deal with a densely packed schedule.

Both the Korea Football Association and Tottenham are well aware of this, and have been focusing on developing volunteer activity schedules both for when Son is staying in the UK and when he is temporarily visiting South Korea.

Son appears likely to sidestep major media attention when he arrives at his training facilities. With the coronavirus situation leading to widespread social distancing practices, a gathering of journalists could prove dangerous. Jeju Island is also a considered “clean zone.” Military authorities appear likely to take advantage of this to instruct Son on his enlistment without revealing details to the outside.

The foreign press has shown some attention to the areas where Son will be conducting training for the Marines. The popular papers have mostly been focusing on the intensity of his training, his CBR (chemical, biological, and radiological) exercises, shooting instruction, and marching. Even for someone like Son who has kept fit through athletic activities, military training will be no walk in the park.

“Military service is an obligation for every [South Korean male], so he’s presumably preparing for it physically and mentally,” a soccer world official said.

“My understanding is that he’s focusing now on rehabilitation, including strengthening the muscles around his injury,” the official added.

By Kim Chang-keum, staff reporter

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