[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Song Min-ho of Winner bowed his head before reporters as he appeared in court as a witness in the trial of the official in charge of supervising his alternative military service, who is accused of violating the Military Service Act.
Song appeared as a witness on the afternoon of the 14th at the third hearing in a case heard by Criminal Division 10, Single-Judge Panel, at the Seoul Western District Court. The hearing was held to determine whether A, the person responsible for managing his service, had condoned his absences or been involved in falsifying attendance records while Song was serving as a social service agent.
Prosecutors' Office believes A was aware of Song's unauthorized absences and helped process his attendance records as if he had reported to work normally. A's side, while acknowledging that there were problems in parts of the attendance process, maintains that there was no prior collusion to falsify departure records. The panel of judges questioned Song directly that day, focusing on whether the two had conspired in advance.
Song, who appeared at the court in a black suit, briefly said, "I’m sorry," in response to reporters' questions before heading into the courtroom.
Song is accused of being absent without leave for 102 of about 430 scheduled workdays while serving as an alternative service worker at the Seoul Mapo Facilities Management Corporation and the Mapo Resident Convenience Facility from March 2023 to December 2024.
At the first hearing in his Military Service Act violation case in April, Song admitted to all of the charges. At the time, prosecutors sought a sentence of 18 months in prison. In his final statement, Song asked for leniency, saying, "I am sorry that I failed to faithfully fulfill my duty to defend the country," and "If given the chance, I would like to complete my service again diligently."
This hearing is expected to focus on the criminal liability of the service supervisor, as well as whether there was prior collusion in the process of falsifying Song's attendance records.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
