The boyfriend of ice skating superstar Kim Yu-na is in hospital after a traffic accident that happened while he was off base without leave.

Kim Won-jung (30) plays ice hockey for military team Daemyung Sangmu as part of his mandatory service.

The Defense Ministry says the sergeant will be punished for going AWOL.

The ministry on Wednesday said three players for the team left their off-base accommodation in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province at 9 p.m. on June 27 in a car driven by Lee.

They had permission from their civilian coach to leave the off-base accommodation, where they had been training as part of the Korean national ice hockey team, to buy some soft drinks.

But instead they went to a massage parlor 3 km away.

As they were driving back to the motel, their car was hit by another driven by a civilian.

A ministry official said, "We confirmed that the place they went to was a Thai massage parlor that offers strictly non-sexual services."

Kim sustained a ligament injury to his right knee and needs si x weeks of treatment, while the other two suffered bruises.

Kim was called up in December 2012 and will be discharged in September.

"He tried to cover up the fact that there was an accident. We will strip him off his special status as a sports talent and transfer him to a normal position," the ministry official said.

