Spurs striker Son Heung-min reports for military service - with teargas, gun drills and 30km march

South Korean is home for three-week mandatory service during pandemic break

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min enters a Marine Corps boot camp in Seogwipo, South Korea, to begin his three-week military training. EPA

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min will be looking to complete his mandatory national service in South Korea. Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min is recovering from an elbow injury. Reuters

Son Heung-min will complete four weeks of mandatory national service. PA

Son Heung-min is currently in quarantine having returned from London last week. PA

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min is hoping to carry out his mandatory four-week national service in the Military Corps. PA

Tottenham's Son Heung-min slaloms through the Burnley defence on his way to scoring a superb solo goal in July, 2019. Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min holds his arm during the match against Aston Villa in February. He was ruled out for several weeks but won't lose out on match time due to current lockdown. Reuters

Son Heung-min after scoring Spurs' third goal against Crvena Zvezda in the Champions League in November in Belgrade. Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho with Son Heung-min after the defeat to Bayern Munich. Reuters

Son Heung-min. Getty Images

Tottenham's South Korean striker Son Heung-min began his three-week military training at a marines boot camp on Monday with the Premier League on hold over the coronavirus pandemic.

Most South Korean men are obliged to serve in the military for nearly two years, making up the bulk of Seoul's 600,000-strong forces.

An official at the Marine Corps said Son would receive a shortened version of a boot camp required for all new regular enlistees, including discipline education, combat drills and a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) exercise.

Son was among the South Korean footballers who earned an exemption by winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

The 27-year-old's Premier League season ended even before the coronavirus outbreak spread to Europe when he broke his arm against Aston Villa on February 16, and Spurs said he returned to South Korea for "personal reasons".

Son reported to a marines camp on the southern island of Jeju for his three-week basic training, Yonhap news agency reported.

A photo showed Son walking past a military truck and soldiers, wearing a green sweatshirt, a black cap and a face mask.

"South Korean football star Son Heung-min enters the training facility of the 91st Battalion of the 9th Brigade of the Marine Corps," the caption read.

Son's agency had earlier urged fans to refrain from attending the venue over virus concerns.

"Son Heung-min is up for basic military training in April," his agency said on his official Facebook account this month.

"We have decided to not open to the public in active compliance with the government's measures on the Covid-19," it added.

Under the terms of his gold-winner's exemption, Son only needs to complete his basic training and perform around 500 hours of community service to satisfy his conscription obligation.

Basic training in the army is four weeks, but three weeks in the marines and navy.

A video of military training posted by the Military Manpower Administration on YouTube showed a group of soldiers undergoing CBRN training in a gas chamber. After a few minutes they are let out, tears streaming down their faces and pouring water over their heads.

"The CBRN training is usually the toughest part of the boot camp," the video says.

The Marine Corps official said Son would wrap up the three-week service period with a group march of up to 30km.

"Once you're in the military, you should be able to fire a rifle, breathe in the gas and participate in a battle, rolling and crawling around the field," the official told Reuters.

"During the march, our regular Marine Corps recruits would bring 40 kilograms of equipment but it could be much lighter for alternative trainees depending on the programme."

He said the military would conduct regular temperature and medical checks on all servicemen and required them to maintain distance during the training to prevent any coronavirus infections.

The Premier League has been suspended since mid-March because of the coronavirus and no date has yet been set for a resumption.