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SEOUL - SOUTH Korean dancers will now have to win international competitions if they want to sidestep mandatory military service, a report said.
Under a rule which took effect on Jan 1, dancers and musicians who only won domestic contests will be longer be able to escape the draft, the Korea Times reported on Friday.
Representatives of local dance and music groups were quoted as saying the new rule could jeopardise their careers, with dancers fearful that life in the army could stiffen their muscles.
But the Office of Military Manpower Administration said Korean sportsmen must win international contests to secure exemption, and it was not fair to exempt artists who had won only domestic recognition.
Most able-bodied men must serve in the military for up to 34 months, but draft-dodging is deep-rooted.
South Korea's 680,000-strong military, backed up by 28,000 United States troops, faces off against North Korea's 1.1 million-strong armed forces. -- AFP
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