Singer Lim Young-woong is under scrutiny again due to unpaid local government tax following the 'what?' controversy. While the payment has been completed after confirming non-receipt of the bill, the impact on his image as a model in the financial sector is considerable.

According to reports on the 26th, last October, the Mapo District Office in Seoul seized the penthouse of Lim Young-woong's residence located in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul, due to unpaid local government tax. His residence was seized for local government tax delinquency, and it has been reported that the seizure was lifted in January.

In response, Lim Young-woong's agency, Fish Music, stated to OSEN that the mailbox for Lim Young-woong's apartment is located on the third floor, not in the underground or on the first floor, which led to a delay in checking the mail and consequently missing the local government tax bill. After confirming the bill, it has been noted that the local government tax was paid.

Lim Young-woong's side expressed that "there was eventually a notification of seizure. After realizing this fact earlier this year, the taxes were paid immediately, and the seizure has now been lifted."

According to the agency's stance, Lim Young-woong's unpaid local government tax is interpreted as a simple mistake rather than intentional. It occurred involuntarily due to not receiving mail on time, resulting in the tax delinquency. Lim Young-woong reportedly took quick action after realizing the situation.

However, the mere use of the word 'delinquency' appears to be striking Lim Young-woong's image once again. Particularly, Lim Young-woong is currently active as a model for a financial group based on trust. Given the nature of the financial group, maintaining a clean image is even more crucial, and the issue of local government tax delinquency could be a factor that undermines trust.

Additionally, Lim Young-woong was previously embroiled in the so-called 'what?' controversy last December. At that time, amid the chaos of the martial law declared in response to the crisis, citizens calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol held rallies in front of the National Assembly, and Lim Young-woong faced criticism from some netizens for posting a message celebrating his dog's birthday.

In response, a netizen sent Lim Young-woong a DM (direct message) stating, "What are you doing at this time? I don't expect you to raise your voice, but this is really thoughtless," and Lim Young-woong replied, "What? Am I a politician? Why should I speak up?" This led to controversy. After the DM was made public, there were fans who expressed disappointment over Lim Young-woong's attitude, arguing that while there is no obligation to express a stance on political issues, care should be taken with words and actions given the sensitivity of the topic. As Lim Young-woong influences fans and the public as an artist, there was regret that he acted rashly on such a sensitive matter. Subsequently, three weeks after the controversy, Lim Young-woong held a concert and said, "It was a time to learn a lot," bowing his head.

Although Lim Young-woong's heartfelt apology has concluded the 'what?' incident, the current issue of local government tax delinquency is bringing up past controversies. There is keen interest in whether Lim Young-woong can recover his reputation without sustaining image damage, given that his side has acted quickly to clarify the delinquency issue.

[Photo] OSEN DB.

[OSEN]