'Negligence in Service' Song Mino Returns to Court... Manager to Witness Trial'
WINNER member Song Mino, who was indicted on charges of violating the Military Service Act, is expected to testify as a witness in the trial regarding the conspiracy charges against his supervisor, A, during his time as a social service agent.
According to confirmation by Star News on the 8th, Song Mino is scheduled to appear as a witness and be questioned at the third hearing for A's Military Service Act violation trial, which will be held on the 14th at the Seoul Western District Court, Criminal Division 10.
At the previous second hearing, A's lawyer argued, "We do not deny that A used improper methods in some attendance processing," but asserted, "There was no prior conspiracy or division of roles to falsify attendance records."
Subsequently, A's side requested Song Mino as a witness, and the court stated that it would review the matter to accept the request once the relevant application is submitted. It has been confirmed that A's side submitted the witness application on the 7th. Currently, the prosecution believes that manager A also participated in Song Mino's absence from duty. The investigation concluded that when Song Min-ho stated he would not come to work citing reasons such as oversleeping or fatigue, A granted permission and falsely created documents to make it appear as if he had reported to work normally. In the indictment, the prosecution stated that in May 2023, A informed Song Min-ho in advance that he would not be coming to work, saying, "I have training tomorrow so I won't be coming to work, let's meet on May 31st." Consequently, Song Min-ho voluntarily did not report to work, and A subsequently wrote the daily service status report as if Song Min-ho had reported to work.
The Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Won Shin-hye) indicted the two individuals without detention on December 30 of last year on charges of violating the Military Service Act. According to the prosecution, Song Min-ho is accused of leaving his workplace without justifiable reason and neglecting his duties and reporting to work while serving as a social service worker at a facility in Mapo-gu, Seoul, from March 2023 to December 2024. Person A is accused of neglecting supervision despite being aware of Song Min-ho's negligence.
The court held the first trial hearing for the two on April 21, and the prosecution requested a sentence of one year and six months in prison for Song Min-ho, who admitted to all charges.
In his final statement, Song Min-ho said, "I would like to offer my apologies to the presiding judge and everyone present here." He continued, "As a young man of the Republic of Korea, I failed to faithfully fulfill my duty of national defense to the very end, a duty that must be fulfilled. I suffer from bipolar disorder and panic disorder, and I am well aware that these illnesses should never serve as an excuse or justification. As someone loved by many, I feel truly sorry when I see this shameful side of myself, unable to set an example. Only deep regret remains regarding my choice." He added,
"I am currently receiving diligent treatment. I want to recover my health as soon as possible, and if given the opportunity to re-serve, I wish to faithfully complete my service to the end," and concluded by saying, "I would like to offer my apologies once again."
Meanwhile, Song Min-ho, who was classified as Grade 4 (supplementary service) during his conscription physical examination, fulfilled his military obligation as a social service agent at the Mapo Facilities Management Corporation starting in March 2023, and transferred his workplace to the Mapo Residents' Convenience Facility in March 2024.
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