Prosecutors have alleged in an indictment that rapper Song Min-ho had 102 days of unauthorized absences during his military service, violations that, if proven, could send the Winner member to prison.

Song, also known by his artist name Mino, “was absent without permission for a total of 102 days while working as a social service worker at the Mapo-gu Facilities Management Corporation and a local community welfare facility in Mapo District, and deserted his service without justifiable grounds,” the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office wrote in an indictment paper obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo on Wednesday.


Social service workers do not report to work on weekends or public holidays. Over a service period of one year and nine months, they are typically required to work about 430 days in total. If prosecutors’ claims are true, Song was absent for nearly a quarter of the days he was required to report for duty.

Under Article 89-2 of the Military Service Act, those who are absent from service for eight days or more without justifiable grounds can be sentenced to up to three years in prison.

The indictment said Song’s unauthorized absences increased as his discharge date neared. His service period ran from March 24, 2023, to Dec. 23, 2024. A list of offenses prepared by prosecutors said Song was absent for only one day between March and May 2023, but that number rose to 14 days in November 2024, one month before being discharged.

He was also absent for 19 days in July 2024, despite being scheduled to work 23 days that month — meaning that he reported for duty on only four days.

Prosecutors also believe a supervisor was involved. The indictment described the supervisor as the person “responsible for managing Song’s service, including his arrival and departure times.”

The supervisor is believed to have allowed Song to skip work when Song had overslept or said he was tired. The supervisor then allegedly prepared and approved falsified documents as if Song had reported as usual. Song’s annual leave and sick leave reporting was also handled by the supervisor, with prosecutors suspecting that the two conspired to commit the offenses.

The indictment included specific details. Prosecutors said the supervisor sent Song a message at around 6:09 p.m. on May 29, 2023, informing him in advance that they would not be at work. The message read, “I have training tomorrow and won’t be coming in, so see you on May 31.”

According to prosecutors, Song did not report for duty on May 30, and the supervisor later filled out the daily service log as if Song had shown up.

May 29 was also the day photos were posted on Song’s younger sister’s social media account saying he had visited San Francisco in the United States to attend her wedding.

Prosecutors said they had confirmed these details through supplementary investigations after taking over the case in May 2025.

“We secured objective evidence through mobile phone forensics and by checking GPS records,” the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office said on Dec. 30, 2025. It also found additional instances of unauthorized absences beyond the facts initially uncovered by police.

Song and the supervisor were indicted that day on charges of violating the Military Service Act. The boy band member is reported to have largely acknowledged the allegations during the police investigation.

“Song’s use of sick leave was an extension of treatment he had been receiving before beginning his service, and all other leave was used in accordance with regulations,” Song’s agency, YG Entertainment, previously said after the allegations surfaced. The JoongAng Ilbo contacted Song’s lawyer for additional comment but received no response.

The first hearing in the case had been scheduled for March 24, but Song’s side submitted a request on Feb. 5 to postpone the hearing, prompting the court to adjust the schedule. The Seoul Western District Court is now set to hold the first hearing on April 21.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JEONG-JAE [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]