PHOENIX -- Grab a uniform and do it for your country. Whether it is in the army or in the World Baseball Classic, several members of Team Korea will do just that soon enough. Or they will already have done both.

Stephen Ellsesser

One of the more interesting subplots of the WBC, Korea's bid to earn exemption from compulsory military service for its players has a chance to affect a great many players who suited up for Group A's No. 1 seed.

Shortly before training camp for the WBC, the Korean Baseball Organization said its goal for the Classic was to make the semifinals, and then it petitioned the Korean government to earn a military release if the goal is met.

If Korea makes the semifinals and the government grants the KBO's request, it could affect a third of Team Korea's final roster. Knowing what is at stake has the Koreans playing at a higher level.

"Everybody is very motivated, and we can see that," manager Kim In Sik said. "In Korea, if you get a gold medal, you don't have to be drafted into the army.

"I don't know how special merit would work if we survive the round in America, but I think we deserve a benefit like that."

Kim and the KBO are not off-base in their request, and according to Hwang Hyon Tak, the minister for information at the Korean Embassy in Japan, artists and athletes who earn fame and honor for their home country have a strong history of getting out of the requirement.

"There are some people who play a big role for the image of Korea worldwide, and that's who these people are," said Hwang, who once served on the committee that reviewed such requests. "Basically there is a point system, and a committee of government officials from various departments takes a look at things. For athletes, it has to be determined if the skill is still upgrading."

Men between the ages of 20 and 30 must serve approximately two years in the military, and for a young player hoping to develop into a star and possibly become a big-league export, that is a huge amount of time.

Hwang said that typically men will go into the army after their second year of college, interrupting prime development time for baseball stars trying to bridge the gap between high school and the pros.

The difference in baseball conditioning and military life would be stark, and that is exactly why Kim is hopeful the players will get good news from the KBO's request.

"Ten of our players would be affected by the special measures," Kim said. "If they are taken away that long, they can't be professional baseball players. It affects their condition too much. That's why we must try hard."

Some of Korea's top stars have not filled their requirement. According to a report in Korea's The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Choi Hee Seop and Colorado Rockies pitcher Kim Sun Woo have not, as well as KBO stars Oh Seung Hwan and Lee Jin Yeong.

If the WBC doesn't turn out to be the golden ticket for Team Korea, Choi and Kim could have a relatively easy route to completing the service.

Players who sign with pro teams in Japan or the United States can opt to attend a 12-day military training camp and be otherwise exempt, as long as they agree to play for Korea when asked for international tournaments, a relative cake walk when compared to the 24-to-28-month regular term.

Although Team Korea is keen to earn the exemption, Hwang said such resistance to the mandatory military stint is rather uncommon.

"These days, most of the youngsters would like to be in the military," he said. "There is an exemption for health problems, but for their future social life and status, not many youngsters seek to get out of it."

If Korea grants its players the exemption, it would be a huge feather in MLB Commissioner Bud Selig's hat. Selig, who came up with the WBC, is reaching out for any in-country love his pet project can garner, and an exemption would indicate that the Korean government regards the WBC in the same light as more established international showcases like the Olympics and the Asian Games.