Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect military training to be a piece of cake, especially in South Korea.
But I wasn’t quite aware of what Son Heung-min was facing when it was announced that he was joining up for national service in April, taking advantage of the indefinite postponement of the Premier League.
According to The Sun, the 27-year-old will take part in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training drills when he reports to a Marine Corps camp on the southern island of Jeju for four weeks.
That could be the scariest paragraph I’ve ever written.
MORE: Son Heung-Min Will Return To Spurs…A Marine
That’s the worst of it, but Sonny will also be exposed to tear gas, learn how to rifle and be put through rigorous combat drills to test his fitness.
He will also undergo discipline education, which might be the most useful exercise to Spurs considering his three red cards in 2019.
An official at the Marine Corps told Reuters, via The Sun: “The CBRN training is usually the toughest part of the boot camp.
“Once you’re in the military, you should be able to fire a rifle, breathe in the gas and participate in a battle, rolling and crawling around the field.
“During the march, our regular Marine Corps recruits would bring 40kg of equipment but it could be much lighter for alternative trainees depending on the time.”
That medal at the Asian Games is looking wonderful to Sonny now, as it exempts him from the standard 21-month service for South Korean men.
Four weeks sounds like plenty.
