MC Mong apologizes to Kim Min-jong after defamation complaint filed at Seoul police

MC Mong walks back May accusations

MC Mong went on TikTok Live on September 5 and didn't waste time. "It was wrong for me to have mentioned Kim Min-jong in the first place." He said Kim Min-jong "warmly embraced me" and that he is now "confident I can accept any articles related to this."

Three days earlier, Kim Min-jong's legal team moved. On September 1, attorney Oh Sung-heon of law firm Okims filed a criminal complaint against MC Mong at Seoul Jongno Police Station. The charge: violation of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, specifically defamation. The filing went public on September 2.

What MC Mong said in May

Back to May 18. MC Mong was on an internet live broadcast when he claimed Kim Min-jong was involved in illegal gambling, acceptance of bribes, and witness tampering. He named Cha Jun-young too, calling him "Cha Ga-won's younger uncle" and "a person obsessed with gambling." MC Mong said he held recordings, reports, and text messages from women who alleged Kim Min-jong paid 10 million won and took them to Japan. He dared Kim to sue him for defamation.

Kim Min-jong's legal team said those claims spread through media and online, causing "serious damage to the honor and trust built over approximately 38 years" since his 1988 debut. Two advertising contracts under negotiation at the time were discontinued. Discussions about a Hollywood film appearance also stalled.

Kim Min-jong released a statement through his law firm: "I can no longer watch the honor and trust with fans that I have maintained for 38 years be damaged by groundless claims."

His side warned that any additional dissemination of identical or similar false statements would trigger further legal action. That includes a preliminary injunction prohibiting the spread of false statements, plus civil damages claims.

MC Mong's current activity

MC Mong kept working through the dispute. He released a new song last month, held a concert, and kept running TikTok Live broadcasts. His eighth regular album, CHANNEL8, is also recent. On September 5 he closed his live with a pledge: "From now on, there will be no more instances of me cursing at or talking about anyone in live broadcast spaces."

(Whether that sticks, given his history on live platforms, is the thing to watch.)