WINNER MINO Indicted for Civil Service Violations, Group's 2026 Full Comeback in Question

MINO, 32, has been indicted without detention on charges of shirking his duties while serving as a social service worker. With WINNER eyeing a full-group return next year, signs point to the group moving forward without him.

The Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office charged MINO with violating the Military Service Act. Prosecutors also sent to trial the head of a public convenience facility in Seoul’s Mapo District, alleging the official knowingly allowed MINO’s lax attendance while he was assigned there from March 2023 through December last year.

Police opened the case at the request of the Military Manpower Administration and examined work logs and phone records. During the probe, MINO largely acknowledged allegations of inadequate service, including leaving his post, according to authorities.

The developments cast uncertainty over WINNER’s long-anticipated full-group activities in 2025.

After all members completed their mandatory service this year, a four-member comeback had been expected. But amid the investigation, the other three members staged their first standalone concert in three years this July. Plans for next year’s album and tour are now expected to proceed without MINO.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)