Swansea star Ki Sung-Yueng reveals he and Tottenham ace Heung-Min Son are prepared for war if South Korea calls
Swans midfielder completed four weeks of intensive military training in 2016, while Swans winger has until the end of 2019 to sign up for his mandatory 18-month military service
TOTTENHAM star Heung-Min Son will go into battle against his South Korean pal Ki Sung-Yueng at Swansea in the FA Cup today.
But the winger could soon be training for a very different kind of battle... against North Korean despot Kim Jong-un.
Son, 25, has until the end of 2019 to sign up for his mandatory 18-month military service back home, designed to ensure he is ready to take up arms if all hell lets loose on the Korean peninsula.
Swans midfielder Ki avoided his due to winning a bronze medal with South Korea at the London Olympics — but still had to do four weeks intense military training in 2016.
Son has three more chances to gain an exemption from the full conscription: if South Korea reach the World Cup semi-finals, win the Asian Games in August or the Asian Cup next January.
Ki, though, insists as harsh as it might sound for a footballer to be forced into interrupting his Premier League career, Son will be honoured to serve his country.
He said: “It’s something we all respect. It’s not fair to say we are famous footballers so we don’t have to do it.
“Sonny and I can’t just be given special treatment because we’re Premier League players.
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“There are other South Koreans out there who are doing far more important and valuable jobs than kicking a ball around.
“They must do the same, we all understand that.
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“In the UK you don’t have the same situation.
“We are still divided into two countries and remain officially at war — despite there being a ceasefire for 65 years. If my country needs me, I’ll be there for them and I’ll be ready to fight. But to be ready to fight, you must learn how to fight.
“Of course, I was lucky to get a bronze medal. If I had not I’d have been ready to do the full 18 months. Sonny, myself and all Korean men have that mentality. It’s a honour to serve your country.”
Ki — who joined Swans from Scottish champions Celtic for a then club-record £6million — in summer 2015, served a strict, four-week military programme which included learning how to launch grenades, fire weapons and survive gas attacks.
He said: “We got up every day at 6am and the days were long.
“I threw grenades, which were real and exploded. You had to enter into a gas room and wear a mask. You had to march everywhere, too. It’s real training.
“I forgot all about being a Premier League footballer. I was a soldier and you must behave orderly every day. Even if you go for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you first assemble then must march to the restaurant.
“There’s no freedom of behaviour. You must do exactly what they tell you.”
If Spurs star Son fails to avoid the draft, he will still be allowed to play football — just not for Tottenham. Instead he will play for South Korean’s army team Sangju Sangmu in their domestic K League.
Ki said: “Normally, footballers do the four weeks training and then after that join the army’s team.
“You stay in a barracks but rather than do the real army training you do the football training.
“The Korean league is from March through to November and you play Saturday and midweek — the same as here.
“But if a war did suddenly happen, you have to go.”
US president Donald Trump has agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim and Ki hopes that is a sign of tensions starting to cool.
He said: “I’m not into politics but I hope nothing will ever happen.
“I just want North and South Koreans to be friendly like we were before.”
It will be evening in Seoul as the nation’s biggest two football stars battle for a place in the FA Cup semi-final this lunchtime — and all sports bars in the capital Seoul will be rammed.
Son has been a gem for Mauricio Pochettino since joining Tottenham in 2015, hitting 21 goals last season and 18 already this term despite not always being a regular.
Ki, 29, has been good friends since Son got into the national team in 2010. He said: “When I was at Celtic, I noticed this Korean guy who was 19 and playing for Hamburg in Germany. He was quick and scoring goals in Europe. That’s not normal for a young player from my country. So I was curious about him.
“He then was called up to the national team. When players are called up for the first time, I can always spot if they’re nervous or confident. I could see right away he had confidence.
“He’s not like a normal Asian player, he is more like a European player. He has those characteristics. He isn’t afraid of anything.”
Ki says his pal is a joy to play alongside in the national team.
He said: “He makes it easy for me. Due to his movement, going behind the defenders. He gives us options.
“When I have the ball I always find him because the way he’s moving is dangerous.
“It’s difficult to mark him because he is so unpredictable and has big pace. To mark him is difficult. That’s why he scores a lot of goals and is doing well in the Premier League.
“In this league, the defenders are quick, they’re strong but he’s always there. He always has a chance to score. He’s going to be a huge threat to us.”
Ki and Son will be together on the pitch at the World Cup this summer — the ninth tournament in a row that South Korea have qualified for — more than England have managed.
He said: “He can take further, bigger steps now and, hopefully, he can score more goals for our national team.
“That is my big hope for the World Cup, so we can do something really special.”