ASTRO member and actor Cha Eunwoo bowed his head in apology amid allegations of tax evasion, raising curiosity about why he paid ₩13.0 billion KRW (about $8.79 million USD) now.
Earlier, on the 8th, Cha Eunwoo posted a statement on his personal social media account, saying, “I respect the procedures and results of the National Tax Service and have paid all related taxes to prevent further confusion. I will also earnestly comply with the remaining procedures,” expressing his apology.
Cha Eunwoo Admits Responsibility In New Apology After Tax Evasion Scandal
Cha Eunwoo also took responsibility for the issues related to the establishment of a corporation, stating, “If there were parts I did not sufficiently review, that responsibility lies entirely with me. I will not evade by saying I ‘didn’t know’ or that it was ‘someone else’s judgment’ for any reason.”
Some have criticized and expressed suspicion, saying things like, “If you were going to pay anyway, why did you delay and hold out with a power struggle until now?“, “Why did you evade responsibility and drag things out?“, and “Did you pay reluctantly after failing to find a way out?”
However, OSEN‘s investigation on the 9th revealed that in this case, it was impossible to pay in advance due to the system. Payment could only be made after receiving a tax notice, which had not been issued until recently, so even Cha Eunwoo himself did not know the confirmed amount of ₩13.0 billion KRW (about $8.79 million USD). The widely known “tax evasion amount of ₩20.0 billion KRW (about $13.5 million USD)” was only an estimate, not a confirmed sum.
The pre-assessment review is not typically judged by a win-or-lose concept but is a procedure decided based on acceptance or rejection. While this procedure is ongoing, the tax amount to be paid has not been finalized, making payment impossible even if desired. Cha Eunwoo’s side received the tax notice only recently after the acceptance result and promptly completed the payment. There was no intentional delay or postponement of payment.
Many other celebrities have also been embroiled in tax evasion controversies, with related articles usually reported around the time of the pre-assessment review results. However, in Cha Eunwoo’s case, news broke unusually early this year, and the estimated ₩20.0 billion KRW (about $13.5 million USD) was mistakenly regarded as a confirmed amount, amplifying the fallout. Above all, the fact is that he did not hold out to avoid paying but was waiting because he had not received the finalized tax notice indicating the confirmed amount.
Cha Eunwoo’s side explained that they never intentionally delayed payment, apologized once again for the series of events, and bowed their heads.
On the same day, Cha Eunwoo’s agency Fantagio issued an official statement, saying, “A portion of the payment amount is expected to be adjusted through the National Tax Service’s refund procedure, and based on guidance from accountants, the actual burden is estimated to be about ₩13.0 billion KRW (about $8.79 million USD).” They added, “As personal income tax has been fully paid, there is a refund process underway for the overlapping taxes previously paid, including corporate tax and value-added tax.“