Singer Hwang Young-woong is embroiled in allegations of receiving cash donations amounting to hundreds of millions of won from fans, but he quickly addressed these points in detail to quell the rumors.
Hwang Young-woong made a successful comeback from personal controversies through the album 'Autumn, Longing,' released in October 2023. At that time, fans joined in a group purchase of the album with the intention of making the singer number one and to catch up with Lim Young-woong, gathering an astonishing 6.1 billion won within a month, contributing to surpassing 500,000 copies in initial sales of his new album.
However, through the SBS program 'Curious Story Y,' allegations regarding Hwang Young-woong's 'cash donations amounting to hundreds of millions of won' surfaced, presenting a new obstacle.
During the broadcast, some fans claimed, "One individual received all the money," and "if you look at the bank transaction history, there were withdrawals of 1 million won," asserting that a total of 120 million won was withdrawn in cash over 22 days. The bank manager at that time explained, "Since Hwang Young-woong likely had no earnings while reflecting, I withdrew a portion of the group purchase funds as requested by some fans and delivered it in cash." The agency also explained, "Each region wanted to provide a donation of 15 million won, so a central staff member, the general affairs officer, withdrew it and delivered it directly in the singer's waiting room. In the trot community, fans often make cash donations. We reported what needed to be reported for the gift tax." However, many in the trot community have drawn a line stating that there is no culture of cash donations or that it is blocked, exacerbating the controversy.
As the allegations surfaced, Hwang Young-woong's side released a detailed statement through a legal representative on the official fan café to clarify. The legal office emphasized that the withdrawal records were "a normal procedure for delivering donations." The 'account history of withdrawals of 1 million won each' mentioned in the broadcast was explained as a financial record arising during the process of fans across the country voluntarily delivering donations, separate from the group purchase of the album, and was a "voluntary contribution" made prior to that.
Hwang Young-woong's side added, "Due to constraints such as ATM withdrawal limits, cash withdrawals were conducted multiple times, and the entire amount was confirmed to have been delivered to the singer by the fan executives." They also stated, "For some amounts, formal gift tax reporting and payment have also been completed, and it has been confirmed through review by tax experts that there are no issues," claiming that the details pointed out in the broadcast were excerpts and edits of the entire process. They stressed, "This is a legitimate procedure to convey the pure intentions of fans, not embezzlement or arbitrary use," in an effort to quell the allegations.
Hwang Young-woong's side pointed out that there were issues in the production process of the 'Curious Story Y' broadcast. The request for the right to respond was made just two days before the broadcast, after the interview with the informant and editing were already completed, requesting only a minimal response. They expressed disappointment, stating, "We regret that the fundamental principle of broadcast production, that 'sufficient opportunity for counterarguments was not guaranteed,' has not been upheld."
Additionally, Hwang Young-woong's side stated they are already in the process of taking legal action, including an application to the Media Arbitration Commission and civil and criminal lawsuits against SBS and relevant informants, as well as a demand for correction regarding the broadcast content. They informed that they had already sent a letter of content and filed for a preliminary injunction against the broadcast, emphasizing that they had sufficiently warned and responded to the one-sided nature of the broadcast.
Through this detailed clarification and pledge of strong legal action, Hwang Young-woong's side hopes to quickly quell the 'cash donations amounting to hundreds of millions of won' allegations and dispel public suspicion. Attention is focused on whether Hwang Young-woong, who successfully made a comeback from past controversies, can completely resolve this issue and maintain strong trust with his fans.
[OSEN]