Career
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, ''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 singerHiatus 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 sentenced to a suspended six-month jail term for dodging conscription. Following 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 MC Mong's mandatory national service prompted the South Korean Military Manpower Administration (병무청) to conduct an investigation. Following public outcry, he stopped all public appearances for several years, including TV programs. According to reporters, one of his dentists publicly stated that he received money from MC Mong to remove two teeth instead of repairing them. MC Mong strongly denied the allegations. On October 10, he was officially charged with violating military service laws by the Seoul Central District Court. At the second trial held on November 29, 2010, after four of MC Mong's dentists came forward to support his case, the fifth (and previously aforementioned) dentist, who originally said he had removed teeth number 46 and 47, changed his statement. He explained that there was a hole in tooth number 46 and he could not know why the hole was there so he extracted it. Tooth number 47 was acutely damaged, so he removed it also. He further explained that MC Mong had not taken good care of his teeth and as such, most of them needed either care or removal. He also said that the police told him to write words such as "forceful" and "intense" in his account, and that he was bothered about this constantly when he did not. He explained that he had never talked to MC Mong about enlistment evasion, 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. The third trial was held on December 20. The fourth, initially scheduled for January 24, 2011, was postponed to February 8. On April 11, 2011, MC Mong was cleared of intentionally pulling out healthy teeth in order to be exempted from military duty but was sentenced to a suspended jail term of six 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.allkpoDiscography
* '' 180 Degree'' (2004) * '' His Story'' (2005) * '' The Way I Am'' (2006) * '' Show's Just Begun'' (2008) * ''Humanimal'' (2009) * ''Miss Me Or Diss Me'' (2014) * ''U.F.O'' (2016) * ''Channel 8'' (2019) * ''Flower 9'' (2021)Filmography
Television series
Television variety
Film
Radio
Awards
See also
*References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mong, MC 1979 births K-pop singers Living people Male actors from Seoul Rappers from Seoul South Korean composers South Korean male film actors South Korean male rappers South Korean male singers South Korean male television actors South Korean pop singers South Korean radio presenters South Korean songwriters South Korean television presenters South Korean hip hop record producers MAMA Award winners