The Korean men's golf team won the gold medal in the Asian Games on Sunday, and with that title, the four players on the team earned an exemption from mandatory military conscription.
The four players on the team -- Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim, Yubin Jang and Wooyoung Cho -- shot a team score of 76-under 788 to win the competition by a staggering 25 shots over second-place Thailand.
This was the first year that professionals could compete in this tournament, with Im finishing in second place in the individual competition to Taichi Kho of Hong Kong. Kho won with a 72-hole total of 27-under 261. Si Woo Kim finished in solo fourth place, while Jang was alone in fifth and Cho ended in a tie for sixth place.
On the women's side, Aditi Ashok finished second for India.
Korean men are required to serve in the military, regardless of profession or societal status, except for those with certain achievements. One of those exempting achievements is a gold medal in the Asian Games, which has been held this year in Hangzhou, China.
Sang-moon Bae is among the male Korean golfers on the PGA Tour who have been forced to interrupt their professional golf careers in the name of serving the national interest in the Republic of Korea. Fortunately for Im and Kim, they will be able to continue their careers unabated with this victory in the Asian Games.
