Foreign media was wrong about the Korean-mixed player.

Castrop chose to play for the South Korean national team.

Jens Castrop (Mönchengladbach) became the center of attention after his debut for the South Korean national team. However, instead of focusing on his on-field performance, some German and Chinese newspapers fabricated unfounded controversies, suggesting that his career could be interrupted by military service.

The German newspaper Bild asserted that Castrop's choice of South Korean citizenship meant he would sooner or later have to temporarily suspend his career to enlist in the military. The article even cited the cases of Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae – who were only exempted thanks to their gold medals at the Asian Games – to speculate that Castrop might find himself in a similar situation.

In China, the Sohu website even ran a provocative headline stating, "Castrop is having trouble even with military service." They even cited the law in a biased way, claiming that mixed-race players can postpone enlistment until age 37, but if they are assigned to the national team, they are immediately bound by it. This is an arbitrary patchwork, showing a lack of understanding of legal regulations in South Korea.

Contrary to these misconceptions, South Korean military service law has very specific regulations. For Castrop – the son of a Korean mother and a foreign father – he was only considered subject to military service if he resided long-term or regularly engaged in economic activities within the country. Since his career was tied to Europe, he was not bound by conscription laws.

Furthermore, after the age of 37, players automatically transition to wartime labor, so there's virtually no chance of their careers being interrupted. The Korean Football Association and Castrop will certainly thoroughly review this before finalizing the naturalization process, as military service is always one of the most fundamental factors in the application process.

Castrop currently plays in Germany.

The fact that some newspapers are comparing Castrop to Son Heung-min further demonstrates a lack of understanding. Son is a full South Korean citizen, obligated to perform military service and only exempted by exceptional merit. Castrop, on the other hand, acquired dual citizenship, a completely different legal structure. Applying the same criteria to both cases is clearly just a sensationalist attempt to attract views.

The truth is that Castrop is not facing any legal risks that would affect his career. On the contrary, he is steadily establishing himself: making his mark in matches against the USA and Mexico, and being given a starting spot against Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.

As the first naturalized player in the history of South Korean football, Castrop naturally holds a special symbolic status. But the "military service" stories fabricated by foreign media are now meaningless. The only thing that can determine his future is not dry legal regulations, but his performance and talent on the field.

It can be confidently stated that Castrop's career will not be interrupted by military service. His future will only be continued through matches, goals, and his efforts to prove himself on the pitch.

Source: https://znews.vn/truyen-thong-ngoai-da-sai-ve-cau-thu-lai-han-quoc-post1588145.html