Hyunjun Yang is enjoying his best season in a Celtic shirt but, if he is with the club long-term, he faces the possibility of an extended period away from the club.
South Korean law states that all healthy men must enlist in the army by the time they turn 28 for a total of 21 months.
Former South Korean Celtic players Hyeongyu Oh and Hyeokkyu Kwon both completed their national service before moving to the Hoops but there are some ways for the winger to avoid it.
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How Hyunjun Yang can avoid military service
There are two ways for the winger to be able to avoid this form of military service.
One is through winning the Asian Games and another is through a podium finish in the Olympic Games.
South Korea next compete in the Asian Games in October this year and they are the defending champions but in order to be exempt, the Hoops must allow him to play rather than hope they win the gold medal.
As for the Olympics, Yang would have to be one of the three players over the age of 23 that they could call upon if he was to be selected for the next iteration in 2028.
Heung-min Son had the same experience while at Tottenham Hotspur but, as a result of winning the Asian Games, saw his 21-month obligatory service reduced to a three-week intensive programme that he could complete without missing any games for Spurs.
Can Hyunjun Yang play for Celtic while on military service?
If Yang is unable to avoid the mandatory period to be in the military, he will have no choice but to stop playing for Celtic in that period.
All professional footballers completing their national service in that time become contracted to the military’s own professional club, Gimcheon Sangmu.
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There are still loopholes around this as players who are applying for service must play for a K-League side for at least six months before sending off their application.
This therefore would mean that the winger would have to leave Celtic for two years or so.
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