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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Barry Glendenning

South Korea’s golden boys and a muddle over military service

South Korea after their triumph in the Asian Games final
South Korea after their triumph in the Asian Games final. Photograph: Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images

FINAL DRAFT

In his 1965 song Draft Dodger Rag, Phil Ochs detailed the occasionally ludicrous lengths some young American men went to avoid conscription to the military. While he listed ruptured spleens, poor eyesight and flat feet as more mundane ailments, mentions of bone spurs (Donald J Trump), conscientious objecting (Muhammad Ali) and 30-day hygiene protests (Ted Nugent) were all conspicuous by their absence from the protest singer’s lyrics. Ochs almost certainly had no idea that the best way to avoid the draft in South Korea is to be really good at sport.

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