Choo to the military?

[redsrbetter]

Should we look at Choo as a draft dodger if he were to skip out on his country like this? Granted, this is not a military draft, but it is a service mandated by his country. I guess I shouldn't have expectations for anyone other than myself, so I won't be disapointed in his decision either way. But will the public see it differently?

I honestly doubt it. American entertainers are given a seperate set of standards than the everyday citizen. As long as Choo can entertain Indians fans, he can get away with it.

I won't exclude my Reds in this conversation either. They just gave a healthy contract to a pitcher who illegally removed himself from his country. Then again, we ignorant Americans also voted for an illegal President as well.

So, the standard is different. My stance is that Choo's story will go nowhere simply because he can entertain. Do we applaud him? I am going to because I know if I could get away with something like this I likely would.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Shin-Soo Choo's military obligation to his native South Korea has been weighing on his mind for several years.
And now, as the deadline for that obligation nears, even Choo's Indians teammates are starting to wonder if their right fielder will have to give up two years of his career to satisfy the demands of his country.
"Jake Westbrook asked me about it," Choo said Monday. "I told him, 'I'm with you guys. Don't worry about it.'"
Able-bodied South Korean men must serve two years in the military by the time they turn 30 years old. For the 27-year-old Choo, who turns 28 in July, that deadline is coming up quick.
Choo spent his entire life preparing to become a professional baseball player, and he refuses to walk away from the game at a point where he should be entering his prime. He is hoping to get clearance from the Indians to participate on the South Korean baseball team in the 2010 Asian Games, which take place in November. If he does, and his team wins a gold medal, Choo would receive an exemption from the South Korean government.
But what if Choo doesn't get that clearance or the Korean team doesn't win the gold?
Well, in that case, he would have to go to his backup plan. He's not divulging what that would be, because he knows people back home are hanging on his every word.
It could be that Choo would pursue citizenship in the United States. Perhaps more likely is the possibility that he would simply not return to his native land and avoid the obligation.
No matter how the situation shakes out, one thing that is certain is that Choo has no plans to miss the 2011 and '12 seasons.
"I try not to think about [the military obligation]," he said.
Choo, coming off a solid first full season in the big leagues, went back home to Korea for 35 days this winter and enjoyed rock-star-type popularity. In November, a Korean television network ran a documentary on Choo that was shot late in the 2009 season.
"A lot of people watched it," Choo said.
Choo said he got emotional when he saw that, unbeknownst to him, his father had been interviewed for the documentary. His father told the story of the first time Choo and his family visited the United States after he was signed by the Mariners in 2000.
The family came to Arizona, and Choo's mother complained that the weather was too hot. His father, meanwhile, looked at American and Latin players who were, in many cases, taller than Choo, and he worried that his son would struggle to adjust to the language barrier and the culture differences.
"That was the first time I knew he was thinking that," Choo said of watching the documentary. "I started to cry."
Choo's popularity level stateside might not be what it is currently in Korea, but that will change if he reaches his potential. He batted .300 with an .883 OPS last year, becoming the first Asian-born player to notch 20 homers and 20 stolen bases (he actually swiped 21) in a single season. After the 2010 season, Choo will be eligible for his first round of salary arbitration. It's a distinct possibility the Indians will try to work out a contract extension with him this spring to buy out his arbitration years. That would be yet another sign that Choo isn't going anywhere, regardless of his obligation back home.

[Kingdom]

I can't fault him if he doesn't want to leave the team. He earns a living by doing something he loves, and losing two years is significant this day and age. Do I have a problem with it? No. Even if this was an American we were discussing, I still would not have a problem with it. There are those that wish to serve our country and we are eternally grateful for them for the sacrifice. There are those that are hesitant, have reservations, and are not willing and I can't honestly shame them for feeling that way. I know I could never serve our Army.

I think it might be an issue in his homeland, it will amount to next to nothing in the USA due to the fact he is not an American.

[realmofotalk]

Then again, we ignorant Americans also voted for an illegal President as well.

LOL, do I detect a cheapshot at Obama?

But back to Choo: He has the serve if his nation's law requires it for him to go back home; that's just the deal. But how about the South Korean government's ultimatum of "You must win the gold for us or else you're going to boot camp"? Not a very gracious message to your next generation of athletes who wish to represent your country in the Games.

[bcshorts]

It's a very interesting situation, and one that we're obviously not accustomed to. By American standards, to require every male to serve in the military for two years in peacetime is hard to agree with. Coming from this perspective, I wouldn't have a problem at all with him ignoring his "duty". Of course, I would assume that he would no longer be able to travel back to South Korea if he doesn't serve his time. That's not a decision I could make for him. It's easiest for me to say that he would have a better life here in America anyways, so that's why I say to screw them. But whatever his decision, I'm not sure how anyone could have too big of a problem with it.

[redsrbetter]

I really don't have a problem with it either way. As long as the one being freed from his country's ways becomes a valued citizen, I don't have a problem at all. And there has never been any reports of Choo having any problems with our way of life.

But when we talk about how a country requires it's men to do a two year service time, we must also look at where our country is headed. I didn't really expect this to become a political debate, and to me it is not political (it is fact); but Obama is currently trying to create a civilian army where it's inhabitants would be forced to go through a 3 month boot camp and serve for a period of time. And this would be every male from a certain age group.

Obviously I haven't studied the facts on this situation to know the exact proposal, but there have been numerous reports on this.

In a baseball sense, this Choo situation could be only the beginning of our comprehension of this. It might hit us right at home sooner than we think.

[catman]

Interesting situation here. I know several Koreans that were living here in the US and went home to serve their time. They put their careers on hold here to do their duty. If Choo does serve his time in the military, I will applaud him for it. If he decides to stay here and applies for citizenship here, fine.
Either way, the decision is his.

[Saber]

Traditionally, South Korea waives the service requirements for major league time or time on the national time. We did the same thing for ballplayers in WW2.

Remember, the US had the draft not long ago. We also don't have a crazy ass Canada threatening us all the time. As far as I know. I don't pay attention to Canada.