While some scandals in K-Entertainment may evoke a strong reaction from international fans, the issue of MC Mong and his avoidance of military service strikes a particular chord amongst Koreans. MC Mong is an award-winning hip-hop artist who was a member of the variety show “2 Days & 1 Night.” His filming with “2 Days & 1 Night” was placed on hiatus in September 2010, amidst an investigation surrounding allegations that he had attempted to dodge the draft for mandatory service in the Korean military.

The controversy began in September 2010 when a dentist claimed that he was paid to remove two teeth, which would render MC Mong ineligible for mandatory conscription. This prompted an investigation from the South Korean Manpower Administration. In the midst of the investigation, there was a public outcry throughout Korea calling for his activities within entertainment.

The case continued throughout October and November 2010, resulting in a fourth trial with was not resolved until April 2011. Prior to the third trial, the dentist who was the initial witness, denied deliberately pulling healthy teeth from MC Mong’s mouth. On April 2011, MC Mong received his sentence. It was determined that he did not deliberately pull his teeth to avoid military service. However, he received a six month suspended jail term, a year of probation, and community service hours for delaying military enlistment under false pretenses.

It should be noted that as of November 2014, MC Mong has not yet served as a member of the Korean military. This is what makes his comeback to K-Hip Hop such a hotly contested issue. Mandatory military service is widely conisdered a non-negotiable issue for the Korean public, many of whom will barely see their relatives during the two year period of enlistment.

MC Mong has been banned from appearing on top Korean networks MBC and KBS since fall 2011. However, the video for his comeback song “Miss Me or Diss Me” has received close to 1.5 million views on 1theK’s YouTube channel. 1theK specializes in providing English subtitles for K-Pop and idol-driven variety shorts. His inclusion on 1theK provides audiences beyond Korea with an opportunity to check out and understand his comeback release.

One of the top comments on the music video for “Miss Me or Diss Me” comes from user Damien Bale. He describes the conflict that many fans of MC Mong who are Korean or Korean-American may be facing. In his post, Damien makes a strong statement, “I am Korean American and here is my two cents. Honestly just awhile ago I would've thought people were too harsh on MC Mong, as I used to like him in 1n2d and I liked his songs before.Yet now I don't feel the same way. The reason is because he has been called up for military service after the scandal but he didn't go for 5 years.”

“Miss Me or Diss Me” is a thirteen-track album which features some of the hottest stars in Korean hip-hop and R&B including LeeSsang’s Gary, Bumkey, Ailee, Lyn, and SISTAR’s Hyorin. The title track, as well as the rest of the album, are a reflection of MC Mong’s talent as an artist. The situation surrounding MC Mong brings up the age old questions of whether an artist should be judged solely for their art and is their reflective of their overall actions.

MC Mong is now the center of controversy surrounding his potential involvement in Duble Sidekick.

Netizens in Korea have delivered allegations that MC Mong continued to work as part of the acclaimed production group Duble Sidekick, subsequent to the release of “Miss Me or Diss Me.” English language publication Koreaboo reported “netizens have discovered that the group [Duble Sidekick] is actually registered with four members, one of whom shares the same name as MC Mong’s manage.” Duble Sidekick has been widely known as a two member production team.

The netizens go on to cite an alleged post made by the group T-ARA which has since been deleted. According to the netizens, T-ARA thanked MC Mong, in addition to Duble Sidekick for their song “Jeon Won Diary.”

Further fueling the debate was a response from Duble Sidekick via Instagram which supported MC Mong’s comeback. According to Koreaboo, Duble Sidekick posted the following statement “Let us hear your story through music, show us everything you’ve been holding back until now.”

It should be noted that confirmation of MC Mong’s production work with the team Duble Sidekick has yet to be established.

 What are your thoughts on MC Mong’s comeback?
Is the MC Mong scandal relevant to fans of Korean music, outside of Korea? Should he have served within the military, even after receiving his sentence in April 2011?

Check out the entire album below, to form your own opinion about ‘Miss Me or Diss Me’ then comment below.