*This content was translated by AI.
While actor and singer Cha Eun-woo has been accused of tax evasion worth 20 billion won and the industry's "wandering" has begun, a request for Cha Eun-woo, who is currently serving in a military band, to review his re-employment has been received.
On the 28th, an informant said, "I decided that the issue could affect the military's external trust and military fraud, so I submitted a report to the Ministry of National Defense to re-examine the appropriateness of Cha Eun-woo (Lee Dong-min)'s position in a military band and review his position."
The reporter released the civil petition screen of the National Newspaper and said, "The honor guard and military band of the Ministry of National Defense will give priority to central events organized by the government in accordance with Article 317 (1) of the Unit Management Order (support of the honor guard and military band of the Ministry of National Defense). In accordance with Paragraph 2 of the same article, the National Day celebration, the presidential inauguration, presidential-related events (in the event of foreign visits by the president, the repatriation and welcome of domestic airports, the official welcome and return of foreign guests), the legal anniversary under the regulations on various anniversaries, the commemorative events reported and implemented by the Cabinet meeting, the international events held in Korea (when requested), traditional ceremonies organized by the government (when requested), and funeral ceremonies such as the head of the state are carried out, so it has a great degree of exposure and symbolism to the outside world."
"The substance of this issue should be finally settled through the procedures of related agencies in the future, but the scale and impact of the controversy are already significant, which is likely to lead to a relative deprivation of soldiers and a loss of trust in the fairness and dignity of military organizations. Due to this nature, I think military band positions require a higher level of adequacy screening and risk management from the perspective of 'external trust, representation, and military fraud' than general positions.
The reporter disclosed the phone call with the official in charge of the Ministry of National Defense's National Newspaper and said, "We have designated a processing department as the inspection office of the unit to which we belong, and we are taking action if the civil complaint needs to be investigated or confirmed." Regarding the fact-finding and necessity, he added, "After the judgment, it is likely to be a reply or action."
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 more than 20 billion won. This is the highest amount ever imposed on celebrities. The National Tax Service said Cha Eun-woo and his mother, identified only by his surname Choi, used a trick to reduce income tax, which reached 45%, to apply a corporate tax rate that is more than 20% lower than the income tax rate by using a non-substantial company, DANI.
Under the current law, if the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes is applied, a portal tax of 1 billion won or more can be sentenced to life imprisonment or five years or more. However, if it is concluded as an underreporting due to differences in tax law interpretation or is defined as tax avoidance, it will be exempt from criminal punishment other than moral responsibility and tax collection.
Cha Eun-woo's agency Fantagio said in an official statement on the 22nd, "The main issue is whether the corporation established by Cha Eun-woo's mother is subject to real taxation. It is not a final and final issue, he said. "We will actively clarify issues related to the application of legal interpretation in accordance with due process."
However, as the controversy continued, the agency issued a position once again on the 27th and said, "The current issue is being confirmed in accordance with the tax authorities' procedures, and the agency and 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," 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.
Cha Eun-woo is accused of tax evasion as the highest celebrity of all time, so he is cutting Cha Eun-woo with dominoes in various advertisements.
The advertisements that used him are putting down Cha Eun-woo's face. Cha Eun-woo, who proudly posted advertisement examples in all fields, including finance, beauty, fashion, and education, lowered his face. The Ministry of National Defense also joined the campaign. On the 27th, a YouTube channel "KFN Plus" operated by the National Defense Information Service, a video of "The Story of the Army That Day" starring Cha Eun-woo was closed to the public. Cha Eun-woo served as a publicist for the Ministry of National Defense, telling the story of a hero who helped war orphans in the video, but as controversy arose recently, the Ministry of National Defense also closed the video containing Cha Eun-woo's face.
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*This content was translated by AI.
