Song Minho, Absent Without Leave for 102 Days, Appears as Witness in Manager's Trial: "It Was All My Fault"

Appears as Witness in Duty Manager’s Trial for Military Service Act Violation
Absent Without Leave for 102 out of Approximately 430 Scheduled Workdays

Song Minho, a member of the group Winner, appeared in court as a witness in the trial of Mr. A, the duty manager who was indicted alongside him for violating the Military Service Act.

On July 14, Judge Seong Joongyu of the Seoul Western District Court’s Criminal Division 10 held the third trial for Mr. A, who was indicted for violating the Military Service Act, and conducted a witness examination of Song Minho.

On this day, Song Minho appeared at court in a black suit. In response to questions from the press such as, "What are you scheduled to testify about today?" he only said briefly, "I'm sorry," before heading into the courtroom.

Song Minho is accused of being absent without leave for a total of 102 days out of approximately 430 days of scheduled work, while he was serving as a social service agent at the Mapo Facility Management Corporation and at community convenience facilities from March 2023 to December 2024. At the first trial held in April, Song Minho fully admitted to the charges. At that time, the prosecution requested a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison for Song Minho.

Mr. A, who was indicted alongside Song Minho, is accused of either condoning Song Minho's poor work performance despite being aware of it, or neglecting his duty of management and supervision. Mr. A’s side has denied the charges, stating, "There was no collusion or involvement (with Song Minho)."

The trial for Mr. A is ongoing, and Song Minho was called as a witness at the request of Mr. A’s legal team, which is why he appeared in court on this day. During the witness examination, Song Minho’s lawyer asked if he had ever informed Mr. A, the duty manager, about his health status. Song Minho replied, "Yes," adding that "Mr. A was often concerned about my condition." He further explained that when he found it difficult to go to work, he would notify Mr. A via text message, and that his absence was due to health issues.

Song Minho repeatedly insisted that Mr. A never gave prior instructions for him to skip work or conspired to help him evade his service. In response to the lawyer’s question, "Did the defendant ever instruct in advance that you didn’t have to go to work on certain days, or tell you not to show up?" Song Minho replied, "Never." Likewise, when asked, "Was there ever any conspiracy with the defendant in this incident?" he said, "No," and to, "Did you ever discuss together how to evade service?" he also answered, "No."

While Song Minho acknowledged going fishing and lending money to Mr. A, he explained, "It wasn’t for any consideration, but based on friendship," adding, "It had nothing to do with evading my service." He continued, "The defendant actually asked me to go to work properly," but testified, "I couldn’t comply with the request due to health issues."

When asked if he had intended to complete his service until the end, Song Minho said, "I really wanted to finish my service until the end," and added, "Now, it’s something I regret."

During cross-examination, the prosecution pressed whether Mr. A allowed his absences and later processed his work records as if there were no issues. In response, Song Minho stated, "Mr. A was very considerate of my condition." He explained, "On days when there was heavy snow, I still went to work using my motorcycle, and Mr. A understood those circumstances. Especially in winter, my health was poor due to depression and other reasons."

However, he emphasized, "Skipping work was my responsibility," saying, "I am not sure about the approval process, but when it comes to attendance, I believe the fault is mine." The court is scheduled to continue the defendant questioning for Mr. A on August 20 at 5 p.m.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.