Cha Eun-woo, who has been accused of 20 billion won in tax evasion, spoke directly, and his agency Fantagio also issued a second statement 119 characters longer, but the public lamented that the official statements lacked substance.
Cha Eun-woo opened his mouth four days after the controversy on the 26th through his personal social media. He began by saying, "I sincerely bow my head and apologize for causing concern and disappointment to many people due to various recent matters related to me," and he said, "Through this incident I am reflecting deeply on whether my attitude toward fulfilling my duty to pay taxes as a citizen of Korea has been sufficiently strict."
In particular, Cha Eun-woo denied allegations that his enlistment was an act of evasion, saying, "Right now I am writing this after finishing my day in the unit. I am currently serving in the military, but this was by no means an intentional choice to avoid this controversy. Last year, my enlistment reached a point where it could no longer be postponed, and I entered the military without completing the tax investigation procedures."
He also apologized, saying, "Over the long period of 11 years, I, who have had more shortcomings than possessions, have been able to be in the undeserved position called 'Cha Eun-woo' thanks to the love and support you have generously given. Therefore, although I may not be able to repay all those who believed in and supported my shortcomings and the many people I have worked with, I am unbearably sorry for causing great wounds and fatigue."
He added, "I will faithfully participate in the tax-related procedures that will proceed in the future. I will humbly accept the results according to the final decisions made by the relevant authorities and take responsibility accordingly," and "From now on I will examine myself more strictly and live with a greater sense of responsibility to repay the love I have received. Once again, I sincerely apologize for causing concern."
Except for denying the allegation that he enlisted to evade the controversy before the tax evasion allegations surfaced, Cha Eun-woo did not mention suspicions such as forming a tax-saving structure using 'Ganghwado eel restaurant' or attempting tax evasion by establishing a family corporation to distribute income and be subject to corporate tax rates.
The day after Cha Eun-woo's official statement was released, Fantagio also issued a second statement. Fantagio bowed its head first, saying, "We sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people due to the various situations involving our company and our artist Cha Eun-woo."
Fantagio said, "We feel a heavy responsibility for the controversy that arose from matters related to our company and our artist," and promised, "The issues currently raised are at a stage where facts are being verified according to the procedures of the tax authorities, and the agency and the artist are faithfully participating in the investigation within the necessary scope. If legal and administrative judgments become clear in the future, we will responsibly take the necessary measures according to those results."
However, Fantagio added, "We earnestly request that people refrain from indiscriminate speculation, the spread of unverified information, and excessive overinterpretation regarding the claims and suspicions raised in some quarters. We will take this opportunity to once again review our artist management system and do our best to supplement and strengthen necessary systems so that similar controversies do not recur."
Fantagio issued a second statement five days after the statement on the 22nd and tried to manage the situation, but even that was insufficient to win back the turned-away public. In particular, the public's indifference stems from the fact that apart from adding "we apologize" to the previous statement and the request to "refrain from overinterpretation," there were no significant changes.
In addition, criticism from the public intensified because Cha Eun-woo announced his statement after news spread that he had recently hired Shin & Kim LLC, one of Korea's five major law firms and one of the large law firms, to respond to the National Tax Service, and because the statement referred to the 20 billion won tax evasion allegations as "various matters related to me" without concrete explanations or clarifications while saying, "I will faithfully participate in tax-related procedures" and "I will humbly accept the results."
Following Cha Eun-woo, Fantagio, which released a second statement, also asked, "We request that people refrain from indiscriminate speculation, the spread of unverified information, and excessive overinterpretation regarding the claims and suspicions raised in some quarters," but netizens continued sharp criticism, saying, "There is no content explaining which parts are speculation and incorrect information."
At the same time, because Fantagio has only issued the position that several raised issues and controversies are "unable to be confirmed," it is not free from criticism that it is itself spreading indiscriminate speculation and overinterpretation.
[photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]