Rapper MC Mong, who has been swept up in affair rumors with Cha Ga-won―the chairman of p_Arc Group and head of One Hundred Label―has once again denied any romantic relationship.
On December 14, the weekly magazine Ilyo Sisa published what it said were KakaoTalk exchanges between MC Mong and Cha. In those messages and in a follow-up interview, MC Mong alleged he had been manipulated and “used,” claimed he was threatened with violence if he didn’t comply, and said he was so distressed he even contemplated self-harm. He also alleged an individual identified only as “A,” described as a relative of Cha, orchestrated the situation and even pushed him toward gambling.
At the center of the controversy are the affair allegations and whether the purported chat logs are authentic. Earlier, online outlet The Fact reported the two were romantically involved and suggested that a 12 billion won loan to MC Mong stemmed from a personal relationship, publishing reconstructed excerpts of messages said to be between them.
Both Cha and MC Mong dispute that narrative, saying the affair rumor is baseless and the chats were fabricated. Cha claims “A” became suspicious of their relationship and built a false narrative to shift blame. MC Mong similarly alleges “A” tried to coerce him into handing over shares of Big Planet Made Entertainment and leaked doctored messages to the media.
Cha addressed the money transfers, saying he initially lent funds to help with an older brother’s situation and later provided support as part of an effort to run a company together. He also argued he wasn’t given a fair chance to respond, warning that sensational stories built on third-party tips can spiral without proper verification.
Cha has begun legal action against the outlet that first ran the affair story. Both sides say they expect the legal process to clarify what’s true and what isn’t.