Tottenham forward Heung-Min Son has completed his mandatory military service with South Korea with distinction.
The Tottenham attacker returned to his homeland for the training during football's shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a report in South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Son wass one of the top five trainees to receive a prize at the camp's graduation ceremony at a Marine Corps unit on the southern island of Jeju on Friday.
The exact scores of the trainees were not disclosed, but officials said Heung-Min Son was the top among a total of 157 trainees.
"He received the 'Pilsung' prize which is one of five types of awards for best performers," a Marine Corps officer said. Pilsung, which means "certain victory," is a rallying cry for the Marine Corps as well as the Navy and the Air Force.
"All the courses were judged in a fair and strict manner, and his military training officers have said he went through the training faithfully."
Due to the COVID-19 virus, the completion ceremony was not opened to the public and the media. The Marine Corps instead uploaded photos of Son on its Facebook page.
South Korean men who are judged to be 'able-bodied' must serve about two years in the armed forces. But Son only needs to complete the basic training and 544 hours of community service over the next 34 months while remaining an active professional athlete.
All South Korean male athletes who win a gold medal at the Asian Games or a medal of any color at the Olympics receive exemptions from conscription.
Hueung-Min Son will return from military duty to London next week. Hopefully, by then there will be a clearer picture of when the Premier League will return.
Discussions on the next stage of the Premier League's "project restart" will continue on Monday.
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