2 hours ago
1
South Korean singer and actor Cha Eun-Woo has said he takes full responsibility for his tax controversy and confirmed that he has paid the related taxes in full after weeks of scrutiny over a reported multimillion-dollar reassessment.
Cha made the statement on Wednesday through his personal social media account, saying he respected the National Tax Service's procedures and results and wanted to prevent further confusion by settling the matter.
He also apologized to fans for the disappointment and said he was speaking now because administrative procedures were still underway, according to GMA Network.
In his statement, Cha said the responsibility lay with him, not with his family or his company. He added that he would not excuse the issue by saying he did not know or that it was someone else's decision.
The controversy began after South Korea's National Tax Service reportedly notified Cha last year of an additional tax assessment exceeding 20 billion won, or about $13.6 million, following a high-intensity audit, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
Reports said the case centered on a corporation linked to his family and to his entertainment income, which tax authorities allegedly viewed as a paper company used to lower taxes.
Cha's agency, Fantagio, initially said the matter was still under review and that it intended to contest the assessment. That position changed after the latest developments, with the agency later confirming that taxes had been paid and that some of the amount could be adjusted through a refund process for overlapping corporate and value-added taxes.
One report said the actual burden is expected to be about 13 billion won ($8.8 million) after adjustments, even though the original reassessment was higher. The same report said Cha was audited in the first half of last year, before his military enlistment, and that the case is considered unusually large for a Korean entertainer, as per Chosun.
English (US) · 