Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min will be exempted from military service after helping South Korea to gold in the football final of the Asian Games in Indonesia.

The 26-year-old featured in South Korea's 2-1 extra time victory over Japan on Saturday night as goals from Lee Seungwoo and Hwang Heechan saw them lift the trophy.

It means Son, one of three over-age players permitted in the Korean squad in the under-23 regional tournament, is now spared 21 months of military duty by the age of 28.

Son Heung-min celebrates during South Korea's 2-1 win over Japan in the Asian Games final

The Tottenham star winning the gold medal means he is exempted military service

Son played a hand in both of South Korea's goals as they took the Asian Games gold medal

Son pushes forward under pressure from Kou Itakura of Japan during the Asian Games final

Son flies the South Korean flag at the final whistle as the team celebrate their success

Son, 26, was required by South Korean law to complete military service by the age of 28

South Korea's route to Asian Games glory GROUP STAGE South Korea 6-0 Bahrain Malaysia 2-1 South Korea South Korea 1-0 Kyrgyzstan LAST 16 Iran 0-2 South Korea QUARTER-FINALS Uzbekistan 3-4 South Korea (AET) SEMI-FINALS Vietnam 1-3 South Korea FINAL South Korea 2-1 Japan (AET) Advertisement

A late response by Japan's Ayase Ueda caused jangling nerves but Korea held out and the 20 members of their squad are now spared otherwise compulsory military service on grounds of sporting excellence.

The success for Son means he can now see out his new five-year contract with Tottenham without having to return home and get by on a basic army salary.

Tottenham allowed Son to miss the beginning of their season with a view to the long term and that decision has now paid dividends.

It is not the first time a South Korean squad has earned military exemption after winning the Asian Games.

The same thing happened in the 2014 tournament, though Son, playing for Bayer Leverkusen at the time, was not released by his club.

The squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup on home soil were also granted exemptions.

South Korean law requires all able-bodied men to complete almost two years of service in the nation's army, navy or air force.

Lee Seungwoo celebrates scoring South Korea's first goal in the final with Japan

Jubilant South Korean players celebrate their Asian Games gold medal at the final whistle

The quest for glory was arduous as Japan's under-23 side, who had kept four clean sheets on their way to the final, held firm for 90 minutes, even scaring South Korea with solid efforts from Kota Watanabe and Yuto Iwasaki.

But South Korea were the dominant side, with tournament top-scorer Hwang Ui-jo spurning several golden chances as Son regularly tormented Japan down the left.

The dam finally broke a few minutes into extra-time as substitute Lee Seung-woo of Hellas Verona collected a pass from Son and rocketed the ball into the top corner.

It was 2-0 when Son won a free-kick before floating it over to Hwang Hee-chan, who headed home.

Perhaps guilty of switching off given the comfortable margin, South Korea conceded to Ueda at the death.

Son was substituted seconds before the final whistle only to run back on the field in jubilation to celebrate the victory, which has huge ramifications for his career.

Son made one appearance from the bench for Spurs before linking up with South Korea's Games squad earlier this month and was congratulated by the Premier League team after the final.

"Congratulations, Sonny #AsianGames WINNER!" Spurs tweeted.