"Documentary Guard... A Mistake Made Out of Ignorance"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Singer MC Mong (Shin Donghyun) was recently revealed to have been caught by customs for attempting to take out $70,000 without declaring it.
MC Mong was caught last month in mid-month at Incheon International Airport while going through the departure procedures to fly to Los Angeles (LA), USA, for attempting to leave with $70,000 (86 million KRW) in his bag without declaring it to customs. He was referred to the prosecution on the 1st with a recommendation for indictment.
According to the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, anyone carrying more than $10,000 when departing must declare it to the relevant customs authority, which he violated.
On the 13th, MC Mong posted on his social networking service (SNS), "Three weeks ago, including local staff in the US, 10 people were carrying $70,000 for staff expenses to shoot a documentary and were trying to enter with 4 staff members."
He added, "During the process of receiving first-class guest service, I passed immigration, and because I had to board the plane urgently, I mistakenly failed to declare the $70,000 during that process," explaining the situation.
He continued, "I even showed the receipt from the bank to declare it, but there was no opportunity to declare again," and said, "I admit my mistake and ignorance. I will learn one more thing from this ignorance and live as a more transparent person. I fully accept my fault and sincerely apologize."
MC Mong, who debuted as a hip-hop singer in 1998, gained great popularity in the 2000s but was embroiled in allegations in 2010 that he pulled out healthy teeth to avoid military service. Although he was ultimately acquitted by the court, he was sentenced to six months in prison with one year probation and 120 hours of community service for the recognized charge of delaying enlistment by submitting an application for a civil service exam and not taking the test.
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