Song Minho to Resume Military Service After "102 Days of Unauthorized Absence"; MMA Says "Notice to Follow"

Served as a social service worker from 2023 through 2024
Trial court sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years

Song Minho, 33, of the group WINNER, whose conviction for neglecting his duties as a social service worker has been finalized, will resume his remaining military service.

Yonhap News Agency

On October 16, the Military Manpower Administration said that it had decided he would resume service following the finalization of the first-instance ruling in his case.

An official from the Military Manpower Administration was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying, "We plan to notify him that he must resume service after comprehensively reviewing the exact period and place of service based on the written judgment."

Song was indicted on charges of violating the Military Service Act after allegedly leaving his assigned workplace without authorization and without a valid reason for 102 days while serving as a social service worker at the Mapo-gu Facilities Management Corporation and the Mapo Community Welfare Center in Seoul from March 2023 through December 2024.

According to prosecutors, when Song did not report to work for personal reasons, Mr. Lee, 54, who was responsible for managing his service, allowed him to stay away. Mr. Lee also recorded the absences as regular attendance or classified them as sick or annual leave, even though Song had not actually reported to work.

In particular, investigators found that Song reported to work on only four of the 23 working days in July 2024.

On October 1, Judge Seong Jun-gyu of the Seoul Western District Court sentenced Song, who had been indicted on charges of violating the Military Service Act, to one year in prison, suspended for two years. Mr. Lee was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The court said, "Military service is a fundamental duty of citizens and must be performed faithfully; social service workers are no exception." It added, "(Song) works in the broadcasting industry and attracts considerable public attention, so his responsibility is not minor."

However, the court said it had also taken into account that "he admitted to all the offenses and is remorseful, and his poor health affected his attitude toward service," as well as the fact that he had no significant prior criminal record.

Immediately after the sentencing, Song said, "I will humbly accept the court's decision." Under the Military Service Act, the period spent absent from service does not count as time served. As a result, Song must complete another 102 days of military service even after his discharge from active duty.

On October 9, Song apologized on social media, saying, "I am ashamed of and regret the irresponsible choices I made in the past," and, "I will faithfully fulfill the remaining procedures and duties."

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