Group ASTRO member and actor Cha Eun-woo has been embroiled in allegations of 20 billion won in tax evasion, and the Ministry of National Defense has made his video private.
On the 27th, the Defense Media Agency-operated YouTube channel KFN Plus converted to private the video in which Cha Eun-woo appeared as a storyteller on "That Day: Military Stories."
Cha Eun-woo had appeared on "That Day: Military Stories" as a storyteller who told stories of heroes who helped war orphans. But the video is currently set to private with a message saying "This video is unavailable."
The reason for making the video private has not been disclosed, but it is significant that the video was made private after Cha Eun-woo's alleged 20 billion won tax evasion surfaced and statements from his agency and Cha Eun-woo were released.
Meanwhile, last year the Seoul Regional Tax Service's Investigation Division 4 conducted an intensive probe into Cha Eun-woo over allegations of tax evasion through a one-person agency established by his mother. Cha Eun-woo has operated by signing entertainment activity support service contracts between his agency Fantagio and the one-person agency set up by his mother, and income was known to have been divided among Fantagio, the one-person agency and Cha Eun-woo himself, but the tax office viewed the one-person agency established by Cha Eun-woo's mother as a paper company that did not actually provide services.
The tax office judged that Cha Eun-woo and his mother used a corporation to distribute income to reduce income tax by up to 45% and applied a corporate tax rate 20 percentage points lower than the income tax rate as a trick, while Cha Eun-woo's side said, "This matter is primarily a dispute over whether the corporation established by Cha Eun-woo's mother is subject to substantive taxation, and it is not a matter that has been finally determined and notified. We will actively provide explanations through proper procedures regarding issues related to legal interpretation and application. The artist and tax representatives will sincerely cooperate so that the procedures are completed quickly."
Cha Eun-woo said, "I bow my head and sincerely apologize for causing concern and disappointment to many people due to the recent matters related to me. Through this incident, as a citizen of Korea, I am deeply reflecting on whether my approach to my duty to pay taxes was sufficiently strict," and Fantagio also said, "We will, through this incident, once again review our artist management system and supplement and strengthen necessary systems to do our best to prevent similar controversies from recurring," offering an additional statement.
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