Kim Jin-ya, the volunteer king who lost the lawsuit to cancel the warning disposition related to public service, will live with more service

Aug 26, 2025

"It's my fault." I will live with more service in the future."

'Cheol-in' Kim Jin-ya (Daejeon Hana Citizen) bowed his head. Kim Jin-ya lost a lawsuit filed against the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 22nd, asking him to cancel the warning disposition related to public service for sports personnel. As in the first trial, the Seoul High Court Administration Department 8-1 (Chief Justice Cho Jin-gu, Cho Young-chang, High Court Judge) decided that it is legal for the plaintiff to be issued a warning for falsifying volunteer work data related to alternative service.

Kim Jin-ya won the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Hwang In-beom were recognized as the main players, but Kim Jin-ya, who kept his left fullback position without replacing every game in a tight schedule, was the gold medal's voice hero. Kim Jin-ya was incorporated as an arts and sports agent in August 2020. Instead of serving in the military, he received special military service benefits by receiving four weeks of basic military training and doing 544 hours of volunteer work in the sports field for 34 months. Kim Jin-ya served in public service in middle and high school and filled volunteer hours.

However, there was a problem in the process of submitting a confirmation of volunteer work in the fourth quarter of 2022. Due to the agent's mistake and administrative mistakes, the confirmation of volunteer activities was rejected by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Although the pointed out matters were revised and submitted again, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism took warning measures and accusations on the grounds of submitting Article 33-10 (2) 6 'False Performance'.

Kim Jin-ya said "My head was blank when I heard the news. Because he faithfully engaged in volunteer work." Public service activities are conducted by institutions or organizations determined in accordance with the previous plan submitted to the Korea Football Association. Using an application that lists the date, time, and place, you must take a picture every 30 minutes and submit it to the confirmation form. You can't falsely inflate your performance unless you manipulate the photos.

In fact, Kim Jin-ya is different from the case of Jang Hyun-soo, who was permanently disqualified from the national team by exaggerating his volunteer work performance. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also reportedly asked the heads of each school and soccer department directors who conducted volunteer activities over the phone about the authenticity of Kim Jin-ya's volunteer activities, and confirmed that the actual volunteer activities were carried out. Kim Jin-ya delivered photos of her activities to her agent after performing volunteer work, but she was in an embarrassing situation as the agent made a mistake in the process of writing a volunteer service letter.

In addition to 544 hours of compulsory service, Kim Jin-ya performed an additional 34 hours of service time following the warning disposition. Kim Jin-ya completed a total of 578 hours of service as of December 31, 2023. Kim Jin-ya suffered a lot during this period. He had to face various disadvantages, including difficulties in the transfer market. Above all, the misunderstanding that the volunteer work hours were inflated was painful.

Since his professional debut, Kim Jin-ya has been supporting low-income children through the Incheon headquarters of Green Umbrella every year, and during the off-season or vacation, he supports soccer shoes and gives talent donations to promising soccer players in Incheon. Kim Jin-ya "I have lived by giving and volunteering since I was a child under the teachings of my parents. It's only 17 hours. There is no reason to manipulate service performance because of 17 hours. I felt like I was being denied my life." This is why Kim Jin-ya filed an administrative lawsuit.

However, the court said that even if the agent acted on behalf of the relevant documents, the final responsibility for submitting a public service confirmation lies with the person himself. Kim Jin-ya seemed to have learned a lot from this lawsuit. "In the end, everything is my responsibility," Kim Jin-ya said. Still, I think it is fortunate to be recognized that the actual volunteer work was carried out through the trial, and that there was no intention of me. I feel sorry for the fans for causing a stir. I will focus on soccer and live with a more serving heart."

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.