On December 31st, South Korean media reported that Criminal Department No. 1 of the West Seoul Regional Prosecutor's Office (South Korea) has prosecuted and not detained male singer Song Min Ho (form name: Mino) on charges of violating the Law on Military Service.
At the same time, the inspection also prosecuted Mr. A, the person in charge of managing service at the Mapo District People's Welfare facility, with charges of colluding or ignoring even knowing that Song Min Ho worked irresponsibly.
According to the indictment, in the period from March 2023 to December last year, while working as a social worker at a facility in Mapo district, Song Min Ho did not go to work fully, or left his workplace during working hours, showing disregard for duties.
According to Dispatch's investigation, the male singer once asked for sick leave on the grounds of social communication phobia and panic disorder. However, he was discovered appearing at parties in Goseong and Yangyang. Colleagues who used to work with him also reflected on Song Min Ho's time discipline.
In December 2024, the police received an investigation request from the South Korean Military Service Administration, established a case file against Song Min Ho and conducted an investigation.
Police searched and seized CCTV and service records at the facility where he worked for verification. During the investigation, Song Min Ho was said to have admitted most of the act of leaving his workplace during working hours.
After receiving the file from the police, the prosecutor said that they had conducted additional investigations, including forensic examination of mobile phones and GPS data checks, thereby detecting more cases of unauthorized absences in addition to the contents that had been clarified during the police investigation phase.
Representatives of the Procuracy affirmed that they will make maximum efforts to ensure that the defendants receive punishment commensurate with their criminal acts.
Meanwhile, the Military Service Management Department said that if the investigation clearly determines that the service behavior is not serious, they will consider canceling the demobilization decision, and at the same time apply service measures to compensate for the period of incomplete service according to regulations.
Song Min Ho (Mino) is a famous member of the Kpop group WINNER, under YG Entertainment.
He began performing his replacement duties at the Mapo District Facility Management Corporation in March 2023, then was transferred to the Mapo District People's Welfare Facility. He completed his duties on December 23 of the same year and was discharged.
The entertainment industry believes that Song Min Ho's prosecution will make the WINNER group's comeback plan uncertain next year.
