After falling into relative obscurity over the last five years, MC Mong, a Korean singer who was popular in the mainly from 2002 to 2009, is preparing for a comeback in November with many other different artists, such as Lee Sun Hee.

In his prime, MC Mong collaborated with many popular singers, such as SG Wannabee and Sung-mo Jo, and gained acclaim for participating in various reality shows. However, his popularity has declined since 2010, when it was revealed that he had planned a scheme to get exempted from mandatory military service. Sparking a public outcry, he was consequently banned by all broadcasting stations from appearing on their programs. Therefore, the announcement of his comeback has caused much controversy.

“Although five years may seem a long time, I think that MC Mong’s returning stage is still a bit too early” Jake Park (10) said. “His military incident resulted in a huge public commotion, not only against him, but also against many other celebrities, and I believe that he has not yet demonstrated the regret he felt for his past actions to the public. Until then, he won’t be able to garner back many of his supporters.”

On the other hand, there are other students who view his new album with more optimism and excitement. Such individuals are excited to listen to a more musically mature MC Mong.

“Over the past five years, I am sure that MC Mong has greatly developed as an artist,” Sarah Park (11) said. “I expect his songs to be of even better quality than his album ‘Humanimal’ [released in 2009] and I am sure that he will gain back his lost popularity in no time.”

In addition to, MC Mong, other famous artists also plan to return to the public view, such as Bom, another Korean singer who took a break from the entertainment industry after being exposed as an illegal gambler. According to Jennifer Kim (10), the rise and fall of celebrities in Korea is not a new phenomenon, as numerous previous examples demonstrate.

“I think that the reason many celebrities experience such high ups and downs in their career is because of the fake identities that they have to set up,” Jennifer said. “Boy and Girl bands are treated as the idols of society and once they fall short of such a title, they are immediately criticized.”