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The 29-year-old, who was granted U.S. residency in 2013, was
charged in February with violating South Korea's military
service regulations after failing to secure an extension to his
overseas travel permit.
Bae was allowed to stay in the United States while his lawsuit
against that decision was pending but a court in his home city
of Daegu on Wednesday backed the Military Manpower
Administration (MMA), Yonhap news agency reported.
Bae, who was contesting the MMA's assertion that he had not
spent enough time out of South Korea in 2014 to qualify as an
overseas resident, said he would join the army soon.
"I completely respect the court's decision, and I humbly accept
the judgment by the law," he told Yonhap.
"I am sorry to those who have supported me, including all my
fans and South Koreans, for causing anxiety."
With the country still technically at war with the North after
the 1950-53 Korean War, all South Korean men between 18 and 35
must complete two years of military service.
The court had ruled that his refusal to sign up with the
military ran "counter to the principle of fairness" in regard to
other conscripts.
Most in the South agree conscription is necessary to deter North
Korean aggression and the public backlash toward high-profile
figures such as actors, musicians and sportsmen who seek to skip
military service can be fierce.
Bae secured his second PGA title at the Frys.com Open in Napa,
California last October and has secured exemption for 2016 after
winning $2,047,187 so far in the 2015 season.
Bae, who will earn around $130 a month as a private in the army,
took home $15,209 from his last outing on the PGA Tour after
tying for 54th at the Greenbrier Classic earlier this month.
(Writing by Nick Mulvenney; Reporting by Kim Hooyeon; Editing by
John O'Brien)
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