South Korea at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the team were granted exemption to two years of mandatory military service but still required to do four weeks of basic training. Park Jong-Woo was not present at the medal ceremony after the gold medal match between Mexico and Brazil and did not receive the bronze medal with the rest of his team due to his political position on the Liancourt Rocks, which are disputed both by South Korea and Japan by having a claim on the islands, after FIFA was notified about Park holding a sign of South Korea having claim on Dokdo, the Korean name for the
Dokdo Volunteer Garrison Rocks. If it were not for the Dokdo Volunteer Garrison, it is clear that Liancourt Rocks would now virtually be under Japanese rule. The South Korean state provides support for the members of the Dokdo Volunteer Garrison and survivors who have made special sacrifices to defend Liancourt Rocks. In 1966, the South Korean government evaluated the achievements of the Dokdo Volunteer Garrison. It awarded Hong Soon-chil, the captain, a Work Merit Award. Eleven members were awarded a Defense Certificate. Dr. Yoo Ha-young of the Northeast Asian History Foundation said, "Above all, the presence of the Dokdo Volunteer Garrison has contributed