*This content was translated by AI.
Fantagio, a member of the group Astro and actor Cha Eun-woo's agency, apologized for the controversy over tax evasion of 20 billion won.
Fantagio said in its official position on the 27th, "We sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people due to various recent situations related to us and our artist Cha Eun-woo."
"We feel a heavy responsibility for the controversy caused by issues related to our company and our artists," he said. "The current issue is being confirmed in accordance with the tax authorities' procedures, and the agency and artists are faithfully investigating within the scope of their respective needs. "If legal and administrative judgments become clear in the future, we will take necessary measures responsibly according to the results," he explained.
"However, we sincerely ask that you refrain from indiscriminate speculation, the spread of unconfirmed information, and excessive interpretation of the allegations and suspicions raised by some people," he said.
Fantagio added, "We will once again check our artist management system and supplement and strengthen the necessary systems to prevent similar controversies from recurring in the future."
Earlier, the Seoul Regional Tax Office conducted a high-intensity tax investigation against Cha Eun-woo in the first half of 2025 and notified him of the additional income tax of about 20 billion won. This is the highest amount ever collected in the entertainment industry. The National Tax Service determined that Cha Eun-woo and his mother, identified only by their surname Choi, used a trick to reduce income tax of 45 percent to apply a corporate tax rate that is more than 20 percent lower than the income tax rate by using DANI, a non-substantial company.
In response, Fantagio denied the charges, saying, "The main issue is whether the corporation established by Cha Eun-woo's mother is subject to real taxation."
After that, Cha Eun-woo, who is currently serving in the military, broke his silence and expressed his position. He said, "I am deeply reflecting on myself to see if my attitude toward tax obligations was strict enough," adding, "I will faithfully deal with the tax-related procedures that are going on in the future." In addition, I will humbly accept the results and fulfill my responsibilities according to the final judgment made by the relevant institution.
In addition, regarding the point of joining the escapist army, he said, "I am currently serving in the military, but it was not an intentional choice to avoid this controversy. Last year, I couldn't postpone joining the army anymore, and I joined the army without completing the tax audit process," he explained.
Hello, I'm Fantagio.
We sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people due to the recent situation related to our company and our artist Cha Eun-woo.
We feel a heavy responsibility for the controversy caused by issues related to our company and our artists.
The current issue is being fact-finding in accordance with the tax authorities' procedures, and the agency and the artist are faithfully investigating to the extent necessary. If legal and administrative judgments become clear in the future, we will take necessary measures responsibly according to the results.
However, we sincerely ask that you refrain from indiscriminate speculation, the spread of unconfirmed information, and excessive interpretation of the claims and suspicions raised by some people.
Taking this opportunity, we will once again check our artist management system and supplement and strengthen the necessary system to prevent similar controversies from recurring in the future.
Thank you.
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*This content was translated by AI.
