Lee Kang In cannot travel to Spain to join Atletico Madrid due to military procedures.

Lee Kang In cannot yet meet up with Atletico Madrid in Spain as he is stuck with the exit permit process required by South Korea's military service rules. Per Spanish reports, the 25-year-old is expected to formally join the team only during their preseason trip to Seoul, thus missing the important preparation phase under manager Diego Simeone.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Lee Kang In is still waiting for South Korean authorities to approve his departure procedures related to military service obligations. This delay makes it increasingly difficult for him to travel to Madrid and join Atletico Madrid.

Sources indicate that Atletico Madrid have now considered allowing Lee Kang In to join the team directly during their summer tour in Seoul, rather than having him fly to Spain and then immediately return to South Korea.

The Spanish capital club believes that having the player take a roughly 14-hour flight from Seoul to Madrid, only to fly back to South Korea two days later, is unreasonable — it would affect his physical condition while offering little professional benefit.

Atletico Madrid officially announced the signing of Lee Kang In on July 25. The South Korean midfielder signed a five-year contract with the Metropolitano club in a deal valued by European media at around 40 million euros.

After three years at Paris Saint-Germain since leaving Mallorca in 2023, Lee Kang In has officially returned to La Liga. Notably, Atletico Madrid have given him the number 7 shirt — a number previously associated with club legend Antoine Griezmann.

Although Lee Kang In was exempted from military service after winning the men's football gold medal with the South Korea U23 team at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games as a high-achieving athlete, he still had to complete a four-week basic military training course.

Since he has not yet finished this training, he still needs to go through administrative procedures to obtain an exit permit from the South Korean Military Manpower Administration. This process is the reason for the delay in his plans to join Atletico Madrid.

According to the schedule, Atletico Madrid will face Manchester United in Stockholm, Sweden on August 1 in their next preseason friendly. After that, Diego Simeone's side will travel to South Korea to take on Manchester City at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on August 9. Earlier, Atletico had a good start to their friendlies, beating Getafe 4-1 on July 30.

After completing the matches against Manchester United and Manchester City, the red-and-white striped team will begin their 2026-2027 La Liga season by hosting Malaga at the Metropolitano on August 19.

With limited time to prepare for the new season, coach Diego Simeone has already started high-intensity training sessions to quickly shape the squad. Lee Kang In's inability to join the team means he will miss the opportunity to familiarize himself early with the Argentine tactician's philosophy and demanding physical requirements.

To help the new signing avoid falling behind, Atletico Madrid are said to have designed a personalized training program for Lee Kang In to maintain his fitness while he remains in South Korea.