Mino Receives Suspended Prison Sentence Over “102 Days of Negligent Service”; Supervisor Also Found an Accomplice

[Financial News] Mino, 33, a member of Winner, was indicted on charges of being absent without authorization for 102 days while serving as a social service agent. He received a suspended prison sentence in his first trial.
The Seoul Western District Court’s 10th Single-Judge Criminal Division, presided over by Judge Sung Jun-gyu, sentenced Mino to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on the 1st for violating the Military Service Act.
The court stated, “Military service is a fundamental duty of citizens that must be faithfully fulfilled for the existence and security of the nation, and social service agents are no exception,” adding, “There is also considerable public interest in military service by people working in the broadcasting industry.”
Mino was indicted on charges of absenting himself from service without a justifiable reason for a total of 102 days while serving as a social service agent at the Seoul Mapo-gu Facilities Management Corporation and elsewhere from 2023 through December 2024.
However, the court took into account that Mino admitted all the charges and was remorseful, that his health condition, including the psychiatric treatment he has received since 2017, appears to have partly affected his service, and that he expressed his intention to faithfully complete his remaining service.
Mr. Lee, 54, who was responsible for managing Mino’s service and was indicted alongside him, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.
The court found that Lee actively participated in Mino’s absence from service by, among other things, signing the service status log as if Mino had reported for work despite knowing that he was absent. Regarding messages exchanged between the two, the court noted that “many of them appear to be about asking after someone whom he does not usually see,” and concluded that Lee knew Mino’s absences had been repeated to a considerable extent, beyond being merely intermittent.
The court also pointed to circumstances suggesting that Lee first proposed or encouraged Mino not to report for work, even though Mino had made no explicit request. At an earlier hearing, Lee also testified to the effect that he had rarely seen Mino awake in connection with his work status.
The court therefore concluded that Lee had participated as a joint principal offender in Mino’s absence-from-service offense, going beyond mere negligence in managing his service.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of one year and six months in prison for Mino and one year in prison for Lee.
Before the sentencing, Mino told reporters, “I have truly reflected a lot. Regretting it every day, I have become very humbled, and all I can feel is sorry to those who loved me.” Immediately after the ruling, he said, “I will accept the court’s decision. I am remorseful.” He did not answer questions about his plans to resume service.


[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter