While Cha Eun-woo, who is serving in the military, regained the spotlight after completing payment of approximately 13 billion won in taxes and was photographed at an official event for the first time since, the production press conference for The Wonder Fools was held and mentioned that Cha Eun-woo was left unedited to enhance the work's completeness. The work is scheduled to be released in about 190 countries on the 15th.
Recently, images of Cha Eun-woo performing on the military band event stage spread rapidly on online communities and social media. In the released photos, Cha Eun-woo is wearing a tuxedo, holding a microphone on stage and saluting. Even in formal wear rather than military uniform, his composed posture and calm atmosphere captured attention, prompting reactions such as "the military band visuals are legendary" and "he's still built for the stage."
Above all, the reason this latest appearance received more attention is that it was the first public appearance since the recent large-scale tax controversy. Earlier, Cha Eun-woo was subject to a tax investigation by the Seoul Regional Tax Service's Investigation Division 4 regarding a transaction structure with a family-named corporation, and controversy erupted when it was revealed that he had been notified of tax reassessments totaling about 20 billion won. Subsequently, through pre-assessment reviews and adjustment procedures before taxation, the actual amount paid was settled at about 13 billion won.
Cha Eun-woo's side explained, "all personal income taxes have been fully paid," and added, "some will proceed through refund procedures due to double taxation adjustments." They went on to say, "before the final tax amount is confirmed, the notice itself is not issued, so prepayment was not possible," drawing a line against some criticism that he "held out and then paid."
Meanwhile, there were also complaints related to his military service. Some raised complaints through the national petition portal asking whether it was appropriate for him to retain his post in the military band after the tax controversy, but the Ministry of National Defense officially confirmed the policy to maintain his current post, saying, "under the regulations, this does not qualify as a reason to change posts." The ministry said, "it does not fall under reassignable reasons in the service regulations such as accidents, illnesses, disciplinary action, or unit reorganization," and stated that Cha Eun-woo continues to serve in the military band as before.
After the controversy, Cha Eun-woo, who had maintained a relatively low profile, is currently serving in the military and also has an upcoming project release. That is because the Netflix series The Wonder Fools is confirmed to be released in about 190 countries on the 15th.
However, the tax controversy that surfaced ahead of the release put the production team in an awkward position. Director Yoo In-sik, who attended the production press conference, said cautiously, "this is something I learned about through the news after editing and post-production were already completed." He added, "this work is the result of countless staff and actors working for every second," and explained, "we proceeded with editing and post-production prioritizing overall completeness." In effect, he acknowledged that they did not separately adjust Cha Eun-woo's screen time because of the controversy.
Public opinion surrounding Cha Eun-woo remains divided. While there is criticism of the large-scale reassessed tax amount itself, on the other hand, reactions continue saying, "he completed payment according to the procedures and is continuing his service normally," and "the work and the actor's personal issues should be seen separately."
Meanwhile, The Wonder Fools is a comic adventure set in the fin de siècle of 1999 that depicts the stories of neighborhood residents who acquire superpowers, and Cha Eun-woo plays the role of Lee Woon-jeong, a mysterious civil servant who uses telekinesis.
[photo] The Wonder Fools
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