Seoul (AFP)
South Korean football star Son Heung-min began three-week military training on Monday with his country's navy corps, according to the South Korean press.
Son, 27, has joined the 91st Battalion, 9th Marine Corps Brigade, stationed on Jeju Island, south of the Korean peninsula, and said the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The Tottenham striker, very popular in his country, said last month through a spokesman that he was to "do his initial military training in April".
"We have decided that nothing will be open to the public, to remain in line with the measures of the (South Korean) government to combat the Covid-19," added the spokesman.
Son had been exempted from compulsory military service for almost two years, which could have jeopardized his soccer career, thanks to the gold medal won with the South Korean national team at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
This title allows him to fulfill his military obligations through only three weeks of basic training and around 500 hours of community service.
Injured since mid-February, Son had received the green light from Tottenham at the end of March to return to South Korea for "personal reasons" after the competition was stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Son, the author of sixteen goals in all competitions since August, should not be able to replay this season after having broken an arm on February 16 during a match of the English Championship against Aston Villa.
© 2020 AFP