Arsenal striker Park Chu-young has come under fire for delaying his mandatory military service for up to 10 years. In a press release last Friday, Park said, "I asked the Military Manpower Administration in early August last year to grant me an extension of overseas stay permit. The permit was granted on Aug. 29."

Monaco granted Park a 10-year residence permit when he played for AS Monaco for three years before transferring to Arsenal last August. This made it possible for him to request a delay of his military service until 2022, when he turns 37, according to the press release.

According to the military service law, anyone who has lived for more than a year in a foreign country without taking up permanent residence after obtaining a residence permit for more than five years is entitled to extend their overseas stay until the age of 37.

Park vowed to fulfill his military service "at a proper time after I finish my stint in foreign football leagues." But critics here accuse park of dodging since men are put on active service until the age of 35, while 36- and 37-year-olds can work in public service and men aged 38 or over are exempt.

An MMA official said, "There are no legal problems with Park's delay of military service." But some commenters on the Internet were outraged, saying Park exploited a loophole since he no longer actually lives in Monaco. Others disagreed, pointing out that he did not seek special privileges but acted according to the letter of the law.

"In 2009, the Monaco royal household agency granted Park an unprecedented 10-year residence permit in recognition of his outstanding activities there," said Lee Sung-hee, Park's lawyer. "We found out through a legal couns el last July that it's possible to delay military service based on a long-term overseas residence permit."

Asked why Park did not reveal this sooner, the lawyer said, "Additional negotiations about his transfer fee between Arsenal and AS Monaco only concluded recently, and AS Monaco asked us to make it public after the negotiations came to an end."