Actor Hwang Jung-eum, who received a suspended sentence for embezzlement of 4.3 billion won, has been accused of still operating the related corporation without registration, and her former agency said it notified her of contract termination last year.
On the 8th, YW Entertainment said in an official statement, "We are announcing our official position on the issues related to actor Hwang Jung-eum reported today. YW Entertainment notified actor Hwang Jung-eum of contract termination on Nov. 27, 2025, and that notice was accepted, so the exclusive contract between the two parties has already ended."
It added, "Accordingly, we clearly state that we have no involvement or responsibility for Hwang Jung-eum's current or future activities, personal matters, or related issues, and we will not make any further statements or take any action related to this matter in the future."
Earlier that day, it was reported that Hwang Jung-eum was still operating the one-person agency corporation involved in the alleged embezzlement of about 4.3 billion won without registration. Under the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, a corporation or a sole proprietorship with more than one person must complete registration procedures under Article 26, Paragraph 1 in order to engage in popular culture and arts planning business.
Operating without registration is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won. When inquiries followed, YW Entertainment drew a line by announcing its notice of contract termination.
Meanwhile, Hwang Jung-eum married former professional golfer-turned-businessman Lee Young-don in 2016 and has two sons. The couple, who once faced divorce, overcame it and reconciled, but entered divorce proceedings again in Feb. 2024, and the lawsuit is currently ongoing.
However, during this process Hwang Jung-eum mistakenly identified an unrelated woman as the other woman in her husband's affair and posted about her on social media. In the end Hwang Jung-eum bowed her head and said, "I misunderstood an uninvolved person to be my husband's affair partner, copied that person's post to my account and wrote terms that could cause humiliation. The person who is being harmed now is unrelated to the incident and has never met my husband and is not the other woman."
In addition, it was reported that in Dec. 2024 she underwent a high-intensity audit by the National Tax Service and had a large amount of tax assessed. The background of the tax investigation into Hwang Jung-eum was not confirmed in detail, but considering the Seoul Regional Tax Office Investigation Division 2, it is said to be part of an irregular integrated tax investigation of corporate business artist clients targeting high-net-worth individuals.
In response, the agency said, "Actor Hwang Jung-eum underwent a tax investigation by the National Tax Service in 2023 and paid additional taxes that arose from differences in interpretation during coordination between the tax authorities and the tax accountant," adding, "As reported, there were no tax issues in the purchase or sale of the building, and we inform you that there was no deliberate tax evasion, nonpayment, or any other unsavory incident."
Moreover, Hwang Jung-eum was prosecuted last year on charges of withdrawing 4.34 billion won from the one-person agency corporation from about 2022 for roughly one year under the name of temporary loans, and using about 4.2 billion won of it for cryptocurrency investments and personal card payments. As a result, she was sentenced to two years in prison with a four-year suspended sentence. Nevertheless, she is once again causing controversy by operating the one-person agency without registration.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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