The military service act gives the benefit of a special case to athletes who won prizes in the Olympics and the Asian Games. The special case of military service in athletes has been maintained for a long time in order to recognize their contributions to promoting the national prestige and to develop national sports. However, the fact that they can continue activities as athletes in their area even during the period of military service has gone beyond a ‘special case’ of military service and become a ‘special favor’, and has been regarded as actual exemption from military service, which has caused social controversies. Due to their job characteristics, athletes can play only during a limited period, retire early, and have a big burden when returning to their job after absence. Moreover, they make a lot of contribution to the enhancement of a national image by winning a medal in an international contest, and it needs to be acknowledged. However, military service must be shared equally, and when this principle is damaged, the special case of military service comes to lack its legitimacy. Therefore, improvement plans or practical alternatives need to be drawn up to secure fairness of military service while taking athletes’ work features into consideration. With this understanding, the measures to modify the standard of the special case of military service for athletes, improve their service contents, and make use of a draft deferment system and Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps were examined. In particular, use of the draft deferment system and Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps was verified to have the possibility to be a realistic alternative that considers athletes’ job characteristics and can realize the principle of equal burden of military service.