[Exclusive]'Dereliction of Duty' Song Min-ho Returns to Court: Management Supervisor's Trial Witnesses Called

*This content was translated by AI.

Song Min-ho, a member of the group WINNER, who was indicted on charges of violating the Military Service Act, is expected to appear as a witness in the trial concerning the alleged conspiracy by management supervisor A regarding Song's duties as a social service worker.

According to StarNews' investigation on the 8th, Song Min-ho is scheduled to appear as a witness and be questioned at the third court hearing for A's alleged violation of the Military Service Act, which will be held on the 14th before the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 10.

During the previous second trial, A's lawyer stated, "While I do not deny that there were improper methods in some attendance record processing," he also argued, "However, there was no prior conspiracy or division of roles to falsify attendance and departure records."

Subsequently, A's side applied for Song Min-ho as a witness, and the court indicated it would review the application with the intention of accepting it once the relevant application form is submitted. It was confirmed that A's side submitted the witness application on the 7th.

Currently, the Prosecution Service believes that manager A also participated in Song Min-ho's unauthorized absence from work. Investigation results indicate that when Song Min-ho stated he would not come to work due to oversleeping or fatigue, A permitted it and falsely prepared documents as if he had reported for duty normally.

The Prosecution Service specified in the indictment that in May 2023, A told Song Min-ho, "I have training tomorrow so I won't be at work; let's meet on May 31," thereby informing him in advance of his own absence, after which Song Min-ho arbitrarily failed to report for duty and subsequently prepared a daily attendance log as if he had reported for work.

The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Won Shin-hye) filed non-detained indictments against the two individuals on December 30 last year on charges of violating the Military Service Act. According to the Prosecution Service, Song Min-ho worked as a social service worker at a facility in Mapo-gu, Seoul from March 2023 to December 2024 but is accused of leaving his workplace without justifiable cause and neglecting attendance and duties. A is accused of negligently supervising despite being aware of Song Min-ho's dereliction of duty.

The court held the first trial session for both individuals on April 21, and the Prosecution Service sought a one-year-and-six-month prison sentence for Song Min-ho, who admitted to all charges in the indictment.

In his final statement, Song Min-ho said, "I would like to express my apologies to the presiding judge and everyone present here," adding, "As a young person of the Republic of Korea, I failed to faithfully fulfill my national defense obligation that I must carry out until the end. I am suffering from bipolar disorder and panic disorder, and I know very well that this illness should never be used as an excuse or alibi. Seeing such shameful behavior where I cannot set an example as someone loved by many people makes me feel truly sorry. All that remains is great regret over my choices."

He continued, "I am currently undergoing treatment diligently. I hope to recover my health as soon as possible and, if given the opportunity to serve again, I want to complete it faithfully until the end," adding, "I would like to express my apologies once more."

Meanwhile, Song Min-ho, who was classified as a Class 4 supplementary service member during the conscription physical examination, fulfilled his military obligation as a social service worker at the Mapo Facility Management Corporation from March 2023 and moved his workplace to the Mapo Resident Convenience Facility in March 2024.

However, doubts about poor performance emerged just before his discharge from duty. Frequent sick leave and unreliable attendance became issues. It is known that Song Min-ho has been receiving treatment for panic disorder and bipolar disorder during this time.

Song Min-ho, who was discharged from duty on December 23, 2024, faced allegations of neglecting his duties by failing to report for work properly during his time as a social service worker. Consequently, the Seoul Mapo Police Station conducted an interrogation summons investigation against Song Min-ho, who was filed under suspicion of violating the Military Service Act on January 23 last year.

At that time, Song Min-ho explained the facts regarding the allegations raised against him and testified to the effect that he "worked according to regulations" and "there were no problems with his service." However, it was revealed through three rounds of investigations that he generally admitted to dereliction of duty and unauthorized absence from the workplace.

In particular, according to the indictment submitted by the Prosecution Service, Song Min-ho was absent without leave for a total of 102 days while working as a social service worker at the Mapo-gu Facility Management Corporation and Resident Convenience Facility, leaving his duty without justifiable cause. The service period for a social service worker is one year and nine months; excluding weekends and public holidays, the total number of required workdays is approximately 430 days. Song Min-ho was absent without leave for a period corresponding to about one-quarter of that time. In particular, in July 2024, he was absent for a total of 19 days. There were 23 days he was supposed to work, but he worked only four days.

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*This content was translated by AI.