MC Mong not entirely acquitted in the public's eyes

Singer MC Mong, who was tried for military evasion, was determined to be innocent by the court. However, the public still thinks of him as guilty, and wants some kind of punishment to be meted out.

On April 11th, MC Mong was judged not guilty on the count of military evasion, but guilty on the count of an unlawful interference with the execution of duty. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment on a one year suspended term, together with a hundred and twenty hours of community service.

MC Mong, who was tearful on the March 28th trial when he pleaded against the two year imprisonment term that the prosecution was pushing for, showed a much calmer side on April 11th. His acquittal should have alleviated the suspicion previously cast on him.

However, for the large part, the response from the public shows that they do not trust the judgment entirely. Instead, there are a lot of people who remain unconvinced, dismissing the judgment as a stroke of good luck on MC Mong's part.

Comments by these people tend to go along the direction of "Preferential treatment for celebrities when it comes to enlistment". MC Mong's claim that his teeth have been weak since he was young have received callous indifference from the public.

In particular, the fact that MC Mong got implants a year after he was exempted from the army seems to further embroil the issue in controversy. Essentially, MC Mong wasn't able to entirely rid himself of suspicions even through the lengthy trials; in fact, the prosecution intends to appeal against the court's decision.

Ever since the investigations started, MC Mong has been going through a nightmarish six months. He has been deeply hurt after OBS broadcasting station's "News 755" first raised the issue on June 30, 2010.

As soon as he was branded as a "military service corruption suspect," the public immediately lost all confidence in MC Mong, turning their backs on him. Since then, he has pretty much been stigmatized, with members of the public clamoring for him to "just go to the army." Even though he has expressed such a wish himself, his previous exemption still stands as a result of the court's judgment.

MC Mong -- whose songs have conquered online music sites, and whose wit has distinguished him on entertainment programs -- has disappeared from the scene for six whole months. His old nicknames "Hit-maker MC Mong" and "Talented MC Mong" have vanished together with him; for now, he is only "Doubtful MC Mong."

Source: Koreaboo