Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps ( Korean : 국군체육부대 ), commonly known as the Sangmu ( 상무 ), is the sports division of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces . Its headquarters are located in Mungyeong , Gyeongsangbuk-do . It was founded in 1984 by the integration of the athletic teams of ROK Army , ROK Navy and ROK Air Force .
14-620: Korea Rugby League 2005, 2007 Champions Besides providing athletic training and facilities to serving active-duty military personnel, Sangmu also accepts qualified male professional athletes serving their mandatory military service . Athletes from team sports play for the Sangmu teams on loan from their parent club and return to their respective clubs at the end of their service. Serving Sangmu athletes may be temporarily released to participate in international competitions if called up by their respective sporting associations. Applicants submit
28-587: A gold medal at the Asian Games or at least a bronze medal at the Olympics may be exempted, although they still have to undergo basic training. If the athlete is already serving, he may be granted an early discharge , as in the case of basketball player Oh Se-keun and fencer Kim Jun-ho , both of whom were discharged weeks after winning their respective medals. Due to this policy, the topic of mandatory military service and exemptions garners increased public interest during
42-504: A regular soldier. Qualified applicants undergo five weeks of basic military training like all other recruits before being assigned to their respective athletic units. Due to their military status, Sangmu athletes are required to salute when the national anthem is played and are referred to as their rank instead of the honorific for athletes ( seonsu , 선수) even at international competitions and tournaments. The existing policy dictates that athletes who have not completed their service and win
56-595: Is a South Korean rugby union team who plays in the Korea Super Rugby League , based in Incheon they are one of the few professional clubs in the nation, they are sponsored by Hyundai Glovis . Formed in 2015 as a replacement for Samsung SDI in the Korea Super Rugby League they were unable to participate in the 2016 season due to the postponement of the league due to financial difficulties. Instead they featured at national sports tournaments, coming second in
70-585: Is a semi professional rugby union league based in South Korea . It is run by the Korean Rugby Union . In 2003 with Japan, South Koreas creates rival, having a much larger player pool and the possible liquidation on Koreas largest club, KEPCO, the South Korean rugby federation decides to merge the corporation and university championships to form a single league: The Korea Rugby League. The announcement
84-656: The National 7s Rugby Tournament 2016 as well as at the National Sports Festival 2016. They made their Korea Super Rugby League debut in 2017, winning the title in the following season. They went on to win the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The team has close ties to Japan Rugby League One side Urayasu D-Rocks with Hyundai having two players join on loan from the Japanese giants; backrow Daiki Sato, Brody Macaskill and winger Takehiro Ishikawa. The Hyundai Glovis squad for
98-539: The Olympics and Asian Games. Founded in 1984 the KAFAC rugby union team plays in the Korea Super Rugby League , having won the tournament twice in 2005 and 2007. They are coached by Seo Cheon-oh and are based in Mungyeong . Hookers Locks Scrum Halves Fly Halves Wingers Fullbacks Korea Super Rugby League The Korea Super Rugby league (formally he Korea Rugby League and Korea Spring League)
112-421: The appropriate documents towards the end of their playing season, which differs depending on the sport, and accepted applicants are further screened through a series of physical fitness tests and a written test. Athletes from team sports are also chosen based on availability of places in the team for the upcoming season and their past records. Those rejected may either re-apply (if not of maximum age yet) or serve as
126-630: The championship renamed back to the Korea Rugby League. From 2020, South Korean rugby is hit like all of Asia by the COVID-19 pandemic . The Korea Rugby League will be reduced to two games, a semi final and a final since POSCO was forced to forfeit. Hyundai Glovis won its 3rd title. In 2021 Korean Rugby Union President Choi Yoon decides to create a new league: The Korea Super Rugby League. The season takes place over six days, with each club playing six games (regular round trip phase). The numbers of
140-439: The league, POSCO Rugby (formally Pohang Steel) replaced them as the 4th team in the 2010 season. In January 2015, Samsung SDI decided to dissolve its rugby team after record losses from the parent company. Samsung SDI was the backbone of South Korea's national team and was composed of many professional players. The club thus had an annual budget of 1.5 million euros. Its loss caused great difficulty for South Korean rugby, which
154-542: The package financially in 2023. Daesim, Korea University and Yonsei University KAFAC , Dankook University and Kyung Hee University A total of 12 clubs have been involved in the top-flight since the league's inception in the 2003 season. The most recent club to make its debut in the competition was OK Financial Group Okman, which made their top flight debut in 2023. Below, the 2024 clubs are listed in bold ; ever-present clubs are listed in bold italics . Hyundai Glovis Rugby Hyundai Glovis Rugby
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#1732855492350168-537: The teams increase to at least 30 players (with the reinforcement of university players) to ensure the smooth running of the championship. The new league will also be able to rely on the mass return from Japan of South Korean internationals such as Na Kwan Young and Chang Yong Heung who signed for KEPCO. President Choi Yoon announced that the Korea Rugby Union , now with a large budget thanks to nearly 30 major sponsors of major national companies, will issue
182-572: Was made on the 29th of April 2003 with the championship launching in May that year. With 7 teams with a single round robin format Samsung SDI became inaugural champions of the Korea Rugby League. In 2008 the Korea Rugby League merged with the National Spring League, to for the Korea Spring League. Unfortunately in 2010 Daesim rugby (joined in 2007) filed for bankruptcy causing them to leave
196-482: Was then on the verge of disappearance. In December 2015 there was the launch of the Hyundai Glovis . The latter will primarily recruit many players from the missing Samsung SDI rugby team. However it was not enough and the league was suspended for 2 years. The championship returned three years later in 2017 with three teams: KEPCO, POSCO and Hyundai Glovis . KEPCO won its 4th title, the 3rd consecutive. From 2018,
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