Song Min Ho, a member of the group WINNER, has completed his alternative military service as a public service worker. However, allegations of inadequate service continue to cast a shadow over his discharge.

According to the music industry on the 23rd, Song Min Ho concluded his alternative service at the Mapo Resident Convenience Facility in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on this day.

Song Min Ho began his alternative service as a public service worker in March of last year after completing basic military training. However, as his discharge approached, a media outlet raised allegations of negligence in his duties.

Mr. A, a former social service worker who worked alongside Song Min Ho at the Mapo Facilities Management Corporation in 2023, has come forward to share his account. He served in the same office as Song Minho during that time and gave his definitive response to Dispatch.

Q) "Did Song Minho properly fulfill his duties?"

"I can say this with certainty: no, he didn’t." (Mr. A)

Another individual, Mr. B, who worked in the same corporation on the parking operations team, also weighed in. He observed Song Minho’s work behavior firsthand.

Q) "Did he only neglect attendance at the convenience facilities?" 
"No, he didn’t work properly at the corporation either!" (Mr. B)

Accounts from four colleagues and two acquaintances contacted by Dispatch echoed similar sentiments: "He didn’t show up," "He didn’t work," "He just played games," and "What did his colleagues do to deserve this?"

Here are testimonies from Mr. A, a social service worker, and Mr. B, an employee of the corporation. They recall in detail how Song Min Ho entered the corporation, occupied a desk on the parking team, and then transitioned to the convenience facility.

In 2023, three social service workers were stationed at the Mapo Facilities Management Corporation, including Mr. A and Song Min Ho, who was assigned to the residential parking team.

Mr A's account of attendance

Dispatch (D): Where was Song Minho’s desk located?
Mr. A: On the second floor, in the residential parking team section, tucked into a corner that wasn’t easily visible.

D: Did you see him often?
Mr. A: Hardly ever.

D: Was it due to differing work hours?
Mr. A: The regular schedule is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. I reported to work on time, but Song Minho never showed up at 9 a.m.

D: Wasn’t he warned or disciplined?
Mr. A: No. Instead, his work hours were adjusted to start at 10 a.m., supposedly because of “medication,” though I’m not sure of the specifics.

D: Did he at least arrive at 10 a.m. as scheduled?
Mr. A: I could see him if he came at 10 a.m., but he rarely showed up.

D: Rarely?
Mr. A: He was absent more days than he came. Even when he did come, it was usually after 10 a.m., and he’d leave shortly after showing his face.

Song Minho’s role in the residential parking team was to assist employees by handling miscellaneous tasks like answering complaint calls, organizing documents, and managing mail.

Mr B's account of work performance

D: What was Song Minho’s main responsibility?
Mr. B: Taking complaint calls, like everyone else on the team, from social service workers to regular employees. But Song Minho was the only exception.

D: Why was he exempt?
Mr. B: Because people would recognize his voice. While we dealt with complaints and angry callers daily, he didn’t participate.

D: What did he do instead?
Mr. B: On the rare occasions he came in, he’d wear AirPods Max, recline in his chair, and play games.

D: Couldn’t he handle calls if he was there?
Mr. B: He claimed he couldn’t answer the phone because he had to say, "This is Song Minho from the residential parking team," and his celebrity status made that impossible.

D: Couldn’t he say, "This is the residential parking team," instead?
Mr. B: I don’t know. They said revealing his name was unavoidable. So he was excluded from handling calls entirely.

D: Did he take on other tasks when he showed up?
Mr. B: No. Other workers handled tasks like mailing administrative notices, but Song Min Ho didn’t participate.

Special privileges witnessed by colleagues

D: If he didn’t take calls, who handled the workload?
Mr. B: Everyone else. We had to endure complaints and insults from angry callers while Song Min Ho listened to game music on his AirPods Max.

Mr. A: It was frustrating. Was it because he was a celebrity? Even so, we couldn’t speak out. The staff had to put up with it too.

D: Did he ever contribute to the workload?
Mr. A: Once, I saw him organizing documents. That’s it.

Appearance and other controversies

D: Wasn’t there criticism regarding his appearance?
Mr. A: Yes. Even though there’s no strict dress code, our work involves interacting with the public. His long hair became a topic of contention.

Mr. B: Photos of him with long hair surfaced online, which led to criticism of the corporation. A senior even kindly asked him to cut his hair to avoid further backlash, but he ignored the suggestion.

D: What about his uniform?
Mr. B: He didn’t wear it. The rumor was that it no longer fit him after he gained weight. He often wore Crocs instead of regulation shoes.

In response, His agency, YG Entertainment, stated, “We cannot confirm specific details regarding the artist’s service. However, his medical leave was an extension of treatment he had been receiving before his service, and all other leaves and absences were taken in accordance with regulations.”

However, the burden of his negligence fell on his colleagues, who had to pick up the slack. While Song Min Ho is now officially discharged, questions remain: Who benefits from the social service system, and is it being misused? 

On December 23rd, Song Min Ho was released without incident, with the designation of having “completed military service.”

Meanwhile, the Mapo Police Station in Seoul has reportedly initiated a preliminary investigation after receiving a complaint through the public petition system, alleging fabricated attendance records during Song Min Ho’s alternative service.