MC Mong

Music and acting debuts

MC Mong debuted in 1998 as a member of hip hop group People Crew. Between 1999 and 2002, the group released three albums, titled, Hiphop Spirit Forever, 태산북두, and We Believe We Can Fly, respectively. However, MC Mong's break came not from rapping but from acting, when he appeared on the sitcom Nonstop 4 in 2003. His acting abilities on the show won him mainstream popularity.

In 2004, he made his solo debut as a rapper with the album, 180 Degree. The following year, he released his second album, titled, His Story. In 2005, he also had a role in the TV drama, Sad Love Story.

Growing popularity

MC Mong's third album, 2006's The Way I Am, showed a more serious side of the rapper, who had become known for his light-hearted image. The track "Secret" deals with his parents' divorce and his poor relationship with his father. The album, which also features guest vocals from Japanese singer Lisa and Korean singers Park Hyo Shin and Ivy, topped the charts after it was released, beating out "big names" like Rain and Se7en.

In 2007, he starred in a live-action TV adaption of the Korean web comic, The Great Catsby. That same year, he began hosting MC Mong's Donggo Dongrak on SBS Radio, and he joined the cast of the popular TV variety show, 2 Days & 1 Night. He was the center of controversy in July 2008, when 2 Days & 1 Night aired a scene showing him smoking. The show publicly apologized for not editing out the scene, as all major Korean broadcasting stations had agreed in 2004 not to air smoking scenes before midnight.

MC Mong released his fourth album, Show's Just Begun, in 2008. The album's first single, "Circus," was immensely popular, winning the number one spot five weeks in a row on the TV music countdown show, Music Bank. He followed up "Circus," with the single, "Feel Crazy."

In 2009, he released his fifth album, Humanimal. Pre-order sales of the album reached over 55,000 copies, and the album's tracks topped numerous music charts shortly after they were released. MC Mong wrote the single, "Jin Shil, Even If You're in Heaven," for the late actress Choi Jin-sil, who had committed suicide the year before. MC Mong's management company said that sales for this single would be donated to charity.

Hiatus and comeback

In 2010, MC Mong's career was put on hold when he was accused of evading South Korea's mandatory military service by having healthy teeth extracted to gain exemption. He was ultimately sentence to a suspended six-month jail term for dodging conscription. Follow his sentence, two major TV networks, the Korean Broadcasting System and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, banned MC Mong from appearing on their programs.

He made his comeback in 2014 with the album, Miss Me Or Diss Me, which topped nine Korean music charts shortly after its release. Despite the album's popularity, MC Mong also received backlash from members of the public who were still angered over his alleged draft dodging.

In 2015, he held his first concert in six years. He also released the single, "Love Jumble," from EP Song For You, which topped music charts after its release.

Draft dodging controversy

In September, 2010, allegations regarding his mandatory national service prompted the South Korean Military Manpower Administration (병무청) to conduct an investigation. Due to the public outcry, he has stopped all public appearances, including TV programs. Originally, according to reporters one of his dentists publicly stated that he received money from Mong to remove two teeth instead of repairing them. Mong strongly denied these allegations. On October 10 Mong was officially charged with the violation of military service laws by the Seoul Central District Court. In Mong's second trial on 29 November 2010, after four of his dentists came forward to support his case, the fifth and the one previously stated who took out teeth number 46 and 47 changed his statement. He explained that tooth number 47 was acutely damaged, so he pulled it out. He pulled out tooth number 46 as there was a hole in the tooth, and explained that he could not know why the hole was there. He also explained that MC Mong had not taken good care of his teeth and most of his teeth needed either care or removal. He also explained that the police told him to write in words such as “forceful” and “intense” into his account, and that he was bothered about it constantly when he did not. He explained that he had never talked to MC Mong about enlistment evasion. He explained that unlike the reports suggested, he had never received any money from MC Mong for pulling the teeth out, and that the reason he took the teeth out was not from MC Mong’s request. His third has held on December 20. The 4th trial, initially scheduled for 24 January 2011, was postponed until February 8.

On 11 April 2011, Mong was cleared of intentionally pulling out healthy teeth to be exempted from military duty but was sentenced to a suspended jail term of 6 months, probation for one year, and 120 hours of community service, for deliberately delaying enlistment on false grounds. The court acknowledged that there was a delay in his military enlistment, however, they were unable to determine whether he was guilty for extracting teeth for the purpose of avoiding his military draft.