'Song Minho Receives Suspended Prison Sentence in First Trial for Dereliction of Social Service Duty'

Absent Without Leave for 102 Days as a Social Service Agent
Sentenced to One Year in Prison, Suspended for Two Years
Duty Manager Also Found to Have Actively Participated

Singer Song Minho, 33, who was sent to trial on charges of being absent without leave for 102 out of approximately 430 required working days while serving as a social service agent, received a suspended sentence in the first trial.

Singer Song Minho, who has been indicted on charges of violating the Military Service Act, is attending a hearing at the Seoul Western District Court on the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of October 1, Presiding Judge Sung Junkyu of the Seoul Western District Court’s Criminal Division 10 delivered the verdict, sentencing Song, who was indicted without detention for violating the Military Service Act, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. For Mr. A, the duty manager who was also indicted without detention on the same charges, the court sentenced him to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Song was prosecuted on charges of being absent without leave for a total of 102 days while serving as a social service agent at the Mapo-gu Facilities Management Corporation and community convenience facilities in Seoul from May 2023 to December 2024.

Judge Sung stated, "Fulfilling military duty is an obligation necessary for the existence of the nation and must be carried out faithfully. This is no exception for social service agents." He added, "Song, who works in the broadcasting industry, has been under significant public attention. Nevertheless, the court recognizes that since around 2017, Song has been receiving psychiatric treatment and his health condition appears to have partly affected his work as a social service agent," explaining the reasons for the sentencing.

Regarding Mr. A, the court determined that he knowingly participated in Song’s unauthorized absences and recognized him as a joint principal offender. As the duty manager, Mr. A was obligated to manage Song’s compliance with his service and had no justifiable reason to permit absences, but nevertheless made false work records and was considered to have actively participated in the offense.

Previously, during the sentencing recommendation hearing held in April, prosecutors requested one year and six months of imprisonment for Song and one year of imprisonment for Mr. A.

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