"Not That I Didn't Go Out, But That I Couldn't"... Choo Shin-soo Explains Refusal of National Team After Military Exemption

"Has Not Been Drafted Since 2017"

Former professional baseball player Choo Shin-soo clarified that it is a misunderstanding that he refused to be called up to the national baseball team after being exempted from military service.

Former baseball player Choo Shin-soo. Photo by JTBC

On the 17th, Choo appeared on JTBC's 'Newsroom' and explained, "I was selected for the national team twice. The first time was in 2013 when I became a free agent (FA) and transferred to Cincinnati. Since I needed to coordinate with my new team, I requested understanding from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO)."

Previously, Choo participated in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games as a member of the national baseball team and won a gold medal, after which he was exempted from military service. There had been suspicions that he refused subsequent national team call-ups.

Choo also said, "In 2017, I was selected for the WBC, but I had suffered four injuries the previous year. Since I had once refused the national team before, I insisted that I had to go, but the team was tactful about it," adding, "Because the Texas team had the authority to refuse the call-up, the team opposed it, and since 2017, I have never been called up to the national team even once."

He continued, "It’s not that I didn’t want to go to the national team, but rather that I wasn’t called up at all, so I couldn’t go," expressing, "So my heart wasn’t exactly at ease."

When asked to describe his baseball career in one sentence, Choo said, "The time I spent did not betray me," and named "when we won the championship in Korea in 2022" as the period he most wants to return to during his playing days. He also said, "History is something money can’t buy, so I want to place great meaning on being part of that history."

He added, "Having played baseball for about 34 years, baseball is the only thing I can do well," and said, "Not as a player, but I want to be in a position where I can wear the uniform, talk with players, and help heal their current thoughts through conversation."

In response to anchor Anna Kyung’s question about whether he is considering becoming a coach, he said, "It’s a question I hear a lot these days and a really good position," but added, "Although I have received offers from teams like the Texas Rangers and others in the U.S., to teach players, I need to be healthy myself first, and I don’t think I’m ready yet."