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The 29-year-old lost a legal battle earlier this year to
defer his conscription after he was charged with violating South
Korea's military service regulations.
Bae, who has won twice on the PGA Tour, failed to secure an
extension to his overseas travel permit after the Military
Manpower Administration (MMA) said he had not spent enough time
out of South Korea in 2014 to qualify as an overseas resident.
He was allowed to stay in the United States while his legal
challenge against that decision was pending but a court in his
home city of Daegu backed the MMA in July and Bae immediately
agreed to return and fulfill his obligations.
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.
Bae told reporters on Wednesday at Incheon Airport he was sorry
for the controversy and was "glad to be back home".
"I will do my best before joining the military."
Bae failed to qualify automatically for the biennial United
States v Internationals tournament but was one of Nick Price's
two captain's picks.
The event will be staged in Asia for the first time from Oct.
8-11 at Incheon's Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, where Bae has
already won twice on the domestic tour.
Bae said his season had been overshadowed somewhat by the legal
battle.
"There were times when I was suffering so much and couldn't stay
focused," Yonhap News quoted Bae as saying. "Things didn't
always go the way I wanted."
After failing to grab an automatic berth on the team, Bae said
he was grateful that Price had given him the opportunity to play
in front of home fans before he begins a new chapter in the
military.
"I thanked him for picking me, and I said I will try not to
disappoint him," Bae added. "I told him I'll try to be a big
part of the International team."
The United States have won eight of the 10 Presidents Cups
played since the biennial competition was established in 1994
and will be heavy favorites for this year's contest.
The International team, representing the rest of the world minus
Europe, have won the event once -- in Melbourne in 1998.
(Writing by Peter Rutherford; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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