According to the latest report from "Mundo Deportivo," Lee Kang-in is still awaiting permission from the South Korean government to travel to Spain and join Atletico Madrid, due to the country's mandatory military service laws.
Reportedly, as time passes, the likelihood of Lee Kang-in joining Atletico Madrid in Madrid is decreasing. In fact, the club believes he will join the team in Seoul; in other words, he will receive instructions from Simeone during the preseason tour.
Although Lee Kang-in has been exempted from military service for winning a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games and bringing honor to his country, he still needs legal permission to leave the country, which depends on the approval of the South Korean Ministry of National Defense and immigration authorities. Currently, this permission has not yet been granted.
Therefore, considering that the flight time from Seoul to Madrid is already 14 hours, Atletico Madrid considers it absurd to have him travel to Europe and then return to South Korea. Atletico Madrid will fly to Stockholm this Friday, where they will play against Manchester United in Sweden on August 1.
The problem lies with the planned trip to South Korea on Wednesday, August 5. Considering it's already the weekend, even if everything goes smoothly, Lee Kang-in would at the earliest get permission from the South Korean authorities this Friday, or possibly August 3, so traveling back and forth would clearly be pointless.
Atletico Madrid is reassured by the fact that the player has been training at the Seoul FC training base, following the training plan set by Atletico Madrid's coaching staff. In addition, he has also been following a diet plan that matches his teammates, so that he can integrate more smoothly once he joins the team.
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