Singer and actor Cha Eun-woo has drawn criticism for choosing to post an apology for tax evasion instead of observing silence on the birthday of ASTRO member the late Moonbin.
"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday." A year ago, on Jan. 26 last year, Cha Eun-woo posted this on his personal SNS. Along with it, Cha Eun-woo uploaded a modest birthday cake made of Choco Pie and chocolate milk placed in front of Moonbin's tomb and photos taken with Moonbin while he was alive, expressing his longing for the deceased poignantly.
However, just one year later on the 26th, Cha Eun-woo remained silent. Even if he longed for him, he could not express it and ultimately did not. Instead, he posted an apology regarding a record-level celebrity tax evasion scandal involving a penalty in the 20 billion won range.
Because Cha Eun-woo is currently serving in the army band, his personal SNS activity as a soldier may not have been free. However, after enlisting he did post promotional material for his personal solo album last November. The reality that there are posts for commercial activities but no mention of the deceased leaves a particularly bitter taste.
In the apology that filled the silence left by longing, Cha Eun-woo said, "Through this incident I am reflecting deeply on whether my attitude toward fulfilling my tax obligations as a citizen of Korea was strict enough." Regarding the delayed personal statement, he admitted, "Over the past few days I have taken time to reflect, worrying about what to say first and whether my regret could in any way reach those hurt because of me."
He went on, "I am writing this after finishing my duties inside the unit," and explained the allegation that he enlisted to evade investigation by saying, "Although I am currently serving in the military, this was by no means an intentional choice to avoid this controversy. Last year, my enlistment became a situation that could no longer be postponed, and I enlisted without being able to complete the tax investigation procedures."
He repeatedly expressed remorse and said, "Over the past 11 years, during which I had more lacks than possessions, I owe my current undeserved position as 'Cha Eun-woo' to the love and support you have given me without reservation," conveying the responsibility of entertainer Cha Eun-woo as the young Dong-min Lee.
He added, "Therefore, to all who trusted and supported my shortcomings and to the many people I worked with, I am unbearably sorry for causing great hurt and fatigue even if I cannot repay you," and once more apologized before adding, "I will sincerely participate in the tax-related procedures going forward. I will humbly accept the final decisions made by the relevant agencies and fulfill the responsibilities that follow."
However, Cha Eun-woo's sincerity does not yet seem likely to reach fans or the public. This is the aftermath of reports that one of the country's top five law firms, which also handled the NewJeans lawsuit and last year brought on a former Seoul Regional Tax Service commissioner as an adviser, took on Cha Eun-woo's legal representation. Although his agency Fantagio remained tight-lipped, saying "unable to confirm," this was effectively read as an admission.
Questions still remain about Cha Eun-woo's income settlement methods, which were loudly reported until the notification of a penalty in the 20 billion won range. Although Cha Eun-woo has had an exclusive contract with Fantagio since his debut, he set up a separate one-man agency as a family corporation in his mother's name to split settlement payments. He then changed it to a limited liability company, making it easier to avoid audits, and registered the address as his parents' eel restaurant in Ganghwa. Although more related to the restaurant business than entertainment management, it is in a nonregulated real estate area of the Seoul metropolitan area.
Personal income tax top rate 45%, corporate income tax top rate 25%. Through the one-man agency that the National Tax Service considered a paper company, Cha Eun-woo could have saved more than 20 percentage points in taxes with simple calculations. Based on estimations from the penalty amount, income was expected in the 80 billion won to 100 billion won range, so he may have questioned a tax structure in which nearly half of income goes to taxes.
However, taxes faithfully paid by those who complied with that tax structure could have flowed into budgets for grants to support content featuring Cha Eun-woo or an unnamed person. Conversely, someone diligently avoiding taxes could have made tax revenue insufficient. That unbridgeable gap, as extreme as the contrast, is the current distance between Cha Eun-woo and the public. Rather than avoiding suspicion, there must be a consensus to faithfully fulfill tax duties before one can speak of public affection. Can we see again the "face genius" who used to empathize with fans through reciprocal communication rather than one-sided cheers?
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS sources.
[OSEN]