*This content was translated by AI.
Was the bare face behind the fancy mask of the "Face Genius" a "Taxation Genius".
Cha Eun-woo, a member and actor of boy group Astro who is embroiled in a massive tax evasion scandal worth 20 billion won, is virtually on the verge of being kicked out of the entertainment industry 368 days before his discharge.
Cha Eun-woo's alleged tax evasion, which recently shook the entertainment industry, is different from the scale. Fourteen years ago, actress Song Hye-kyo bowed out due to tax evasion worth 2.5 billion won, while Cha Eun-woo shocked the public with an all-time additional 20 billion won, eight times that.
According to the entertainment industry on the 22nd, the Seoul Regional Tax Office's Investigation Bureau conducted an intensive tax investigation into Cha Eun-woo and his agency Fantagio in the first half of last year. The National Tax Service judged that the corporation A, which Cha Eun-woo established in the name of his mother Choi, is a "paper company" that has virtually no substance. It is believed that the tax was evaded by distributing profits such as high advertising model fees and performance fees attributable to Cha Eun-woo in the form of false service contracts between A and his agency, and receiving a relatively low corporate tax rate instead of a personal income tax rate of up to 45%.
Accordingly, the additional fine notified to Cha Eun-woo by the National Tax Service was 20 billion won, the largest ever among domestic celebrity tax collection cases.
As the controversy spread, Fantagio said in an official statement, "The main issue is whether the corporation established by Cha Eun-woo's mother is subject to real taxation, and it is not currently finalized and announced, and we will actively explain the issues related to legal interpretation and application in accordance with due process."
However, the industry has already started to erase Cha Eun-woo. The first place that reacted was in the advertising industry. Shinhan Bank, which used Cha Eun-woo as its main model, and other major brands are quickly erasing Cha Eun-woo's traces by turning related advertising videos private or deleting them on its official SNS and YouTube.
Cha Eun-woo joined the army in July last year and is currently serving in a military band. The scheduled discharge date is January 27, 2027, 368 days later.
The controversy, which occurred during the military service, became an indelible blow to Cha Eun-woo, who has been loved for his image as a "right young man." Controversy is unlikely to subside easily as some netizens are raising suspicions that they may have fled to the military in consideration of the timing of the tax investigation.
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*This content was translated by AI.
