Korean Bae charged with violating military service law

[February 02, 2015]  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean golfer Bae Sang-moon, who plays on the U.S. PGA Tour, has been charged with violating the country's military service regulations after failing to return home when his overseas travel permit expired, local media said on Monday.

A two-time winner on the U.S. tour and with victories on the Asian, Japan and OneAsia Tours, Bae made his PGA Tour debut in 2012 and was granted U.S. residency two years ago.

The 28-year-old had sought legal advice after South Korea's Military Manpower Administration (MMA) rejected his request for an extension to his overseas travel permit.

All South Korean men between 18 and 35 must complete two years of military service, with the country still technically at war with the North after their 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

The MMA's regional office in Bae's hometown of Daegu had filed the charge against him, Yonhap News agency said on Monday.

Bae had his extension rejected because he had spent too much time in South Korea last year to be considered an overseas resident, Yonhap reported.

Bae missed the cut at the Phoenix Open in Arizona at the weekend.

(Reporting by Peter Rutherford; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

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