According to legal sources on February 13, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office stated in the indictment that Song Mino failed to report to duty without valid reason on 102 occasions while assigned to the Mapo Facilities Management Corporation and Mapo Community Welfare Facility.
Public service workers in South Korea serve for one year and nine months, with approximately 430 required working days. If the prosecution’s claims are upheld, Song Mino would have been absent for nearly one-quarter of his total service period. Reports indicate that the number of absences increased significantly as his discharge date approached.
Between March and May 2023, he was reportedly absent for only one day. However, in July 2024, the number rose to 19 days, and in November 2024 just one month before completing his service he allegedly missed 14 days without authorization.
Prosecutors believe that when Song Mino cited reasons such as oversleeping or fatigue for not attending work, a supervising official approved the absences and processed documents as if he had reported normally. The official has also been indicted.
Under the Military Service Act, if a public service worker is absent without legitimate reason for eight days or more, they may face up to three years in prison. In addition, authorities can impose an extension of service equivalent to five times the number of unauthorized absence days.
However, legal experts have dismissed speculation circulating online about the possibility of him being re-enlisted for active duty. Attorney Kim Kang Ho, speaking on YTN Radio’s Case X File, explained that since Song Mino has already been officially discharged, current law does not allow for conversion to active-duty service. He noted that while Psy previously returned to serve after his industrial technical personnel status was revoked, that case involved a different legal framework. Unlike industrial technical personnel, there is no legal basis to change the service classification of a public service worker.
Song Mino’s side had previously stated that his sick leave was an extension of medical treatment he had been receiving prior to enlistment, and that all other leave days were used in accordance with regulations. His first court hearing is scheduled for April 21.
The outcome of this case is expected to reignite debate over how military service obligations are enforced for public figures in South Korea.
