South Korean national team coach Jang Hyun-soo expressed his regret over forgery of the exemption documents from compulsory military service while the local federation announced his absence from next month's squad to complete the required community service hours.
Korean laws require men between 18 and 28 years of age to perform 21 months of military service. Athletes who crown medals at the Olympic Games or the Asian Games are exempt, but are required to do limited military service for up to 60 days and 544 hours of community service related to sport.
Defender Jang Hyun-soo avoided military service after his country's 2014 Olympic gold medal and presented a document indicating he completed about 200 hours of community service in December 2017.
But the authorities discovered the falsity of the allegation, as Jang was reported to have established outdoor spherical activities on a day of heavy snowfall.
The local federation said in a statement that Jang had "raised controversy" and would not participate in two friendly matches in Australia in November.
The player, who defended the national team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2016 Summer Olympics in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, asked not to participate in Australia and Uzbekistan next month to be able to complete community service hours.
"I am very sorry to be disappointed," the player was quoted as saying. "I deeply regret what I have done."
The Korean authorities have recently hinted that the military exemption program may be modified, and that it is being criticized for granting exemptions to certain categories of society on the basis of a single achievement.
Sun Hyung-min, South Korea's leading player and defender of Tottenham Hotspur, was among a group of players who were exempted from military service after the last Asian Games gold medal in August in Indonesia.
