[MC Mong's TikTok]
[MC Mong's TikTok]

Singer MC Mong has announced a new single after wrapping up a successful concert in Seoul.

MC Mong wrote on his TikTok account Saturday that he would be "revealing for the first time" a pre-release single alongside his Busan concert next Saturday.

He had previously said he would release a 10th studio album after putting out his ninth in 2021, but has not released new material in five years.

Along with the announcement, MC Mong posted a short clip from his Seoul concert held Aug. 14. In the video, he told the crowd: "Not everyone can love me. But for as long as you're seated at this stage, I have to be your favorite singer." He also said, "I'm sorry — it would have been better for you if I were a celebrity who received just a little less attention."

The Seoul concert sold out in under a minute when tickets went on sale, underscoring MC Mong's enduring drawing power.

MC Mong was a prominent figure in Korean pop and entertainment in the 2000s before his career collapsed in 2010 amid allegations that he had deliberately had teeth extracted to avoid military service. He was acquitted of the intentional tooth-extraction charges but was found guilty of repeatedly delaying his enlistment on grounds that he was preparing for civil service exams.

More recently, MC Mong has been embroiled in controversy surrounding a talent agency he co-founded in 2023 with Cha Ga-won, chairman of One Hundred. Cha faces allegations of withholding settlement payments from prominent entertainers including singers Lee Seung-gi, Lee Mu-jin and the group Chen Baekhyun Xiumin, and has been indicted and detained on fraud charges totaling 30 billion won ($21.5 million). MC Mong has separately faced allegations of having had an affair with Cha and of joining him on overseas gambling trips funded with embezzled company money.


paq@heraldcorp.com