Actor Lee Hanee was sent to prosecutors on suspicion of running an entertainment agency without completing registration, a legally required procedure.
The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on the 23rd sent Lee, her husband, a person surnamed Jang, and their corporation Hope Project without detention to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on charges of violating the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act.
Lee established "Hanee Co., Ltd." in 2015 and changed the corporate name to Hope Project in 2018. Her husband, Jang, currently serves as CEO, and Lee serves as an inside director.
Under the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, a corporation or a sole proprietor with more than one person must register with the competent authority to engage in agency business, and violations are punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.
Police determined the corporation operated illegally without completing the agency registration process and have been investigating. Meanwhile, Lee Hanee, after being hit with a 6 billion won back tax assessment during a tax audit last year that sparked controversy, said, "I paid the full amount, and it has nothing to do with intentional tax omission."