Rapper MC Mong Finally Addresses His Military Service Draft Dodging Controversy
Rapper MC Mong recently sat down with 1theK Originals where he finally addressed his mandatory military service controversy.
In the now deleted video, the rapper took the time to answer some questions. When a fan commented, “he needs to go on Show Me The Money. He would win easily”, this is how he responded.
I don’t do hip-hop. People keep comparing to other hip-hop artists, but my breathing technique is bad. I’m lacking in that area.
— MC Mong
The rapper was then asked about how he felt about about his Show Me The Money appearance offer.
I had no reason to go on the show. It makes me cringe just thinking about my appearance.
— MC Mong
It was after his honest answer to the Show Me The Money question that MC Mong finally addressed his shocking draft dodging controversy. The rapper responded to a comment that said, “I heard that the army was willing to allow MC Mong to serve later, but he refused to do so.”
This is probably the most absurd thing I have ever heard.
— MC Mong
The rapper explained why it was such an outrageous comment.
There is absolutely no way for me to serve now.
— MC Mong
There was a comment that revealed that MC Mong had a hereditary disease at the time of his draft dodging controversy. The commenter shared that the rapper’s teeth were in such bad condition, that they were considered a physical handicap. He had more than 10 teeth in this condition, thus qualifying his condition as a disease at the time. The rapper agreed that this was the case and further elaborated on it.
This is correct. No matter how many times I say that though (cuts himself off)…my family members all have similar conditions, but trying to explain myself seems pitiful. I don’t want to talk about it.
— MC Mong
MC Mong was once largely loved by the entire nation. He released catchy song after catchy song that were always well received by the public. The rapper was known for his fun performances, exciting duets and incredible lyrical abilities. He quickly climbed to the top of all the music charts, where he would keep reign for weeks at a time. The rapper was a fixed member on numerous variety programs thanks to his funny personality and natural comedic antics. He truly was at the top of the K-Pop world during this time. That all came crumbling down, however, when it was revealed that the rapper had allegedly avoided his military draft.
Back in 2010, MC Mong became the center of massive scrutiny when it was revealed that the rapper had removed his healthy teeth. There were numerous allegations that the rapper had paid off dentists to remove his healthy teeth in order to qualify for military service exemption. The military will exempt some Korean men from their mandatory draft for a variety of reasons, including health related reasons.
While it eventually came out that MC Mong did not remove any of his healthy teeth, the damage had already been done. The once beloved rapper became one of the most scrutinized public figures in South Korea.
Since his controversy, the rapper remained mostly out of the spotlight, until 2014 and 2019. MC Mong released two brand new albums, but was met with massive backlash, forcing him to go back into a hiatus. With this new video with 1theK, however, it looks like the rapper may be trying to come back to the industry once again.