K-pop singer Song Min-ho has been handed a suspended one-year prison sentence by a South Korean court after being convicted of violating the country's military service law. The 33-year-old, known by his stage name Mino and a member of the boy band Winner, was found to have been absent multiple times from a community centre in Seoul.
Song worked as a social worker from 2023 to 2024 and recorded 102 unauthorised absences during his 21-month stint as a social service agent, the court heard. All able-bodied men in South Korea are required to serve at least 18 months in the military, with some assigned as social service personnel for health reasons.
The court stated that military service is a duty to be performed "faithfully", and social service agents are "no exception". However, the court also noted that Song admitted to the charges and expressed remorse. The prison sentence is suspended for two years, meaning he will avoid incarceration if he does not commit any crime during this probationary period.
Authorities launched an investigation into Song in 2024 after local media reported frequent absences and excessive sick leave from his social service duties. Song's supervisor at the social service centre also received a suspended jail sentence for assisting him in dodging duties, including falsifying records.