On March 14, Yoo Yeon-seok's agency, King Kong by Starship, released an official statement saying, "This issue stems from differences in the interpretation and application of tax laws between our tax representative and the tax authorities. We are currently awaiting the tax authorities' notice after undergoing a pre-assessment review. The matter has not been finalized or officially notified yet, and we plan to actively clarify the issues related to the interpretation and application of the law through proper procedures."
The agency further explained, "This issue involves the income from the past five years of a corporation operated by Yoo Yeon-seok for developing and producing YouTube content and other related businesses, including the food service industry, as an extension of his entertainment activities. The tax authorities interpreted this income as subject to personal income tax rather than corporate tax, leading to the imposition of personal income tax on what had been reported as corporate income by the tax representative."
The agency emphasized, "Yoo Yeon-seok has always prioritized fulfilling his tax obligations diligently and will continue to adhere strictly to relevant laws and procedures as a responsible citizen."
On the same day, CBS No Cut News reported that the National Tax Service had conducted a thorough tax investigation on Yoo Yeon-seok and notified him of a tax bill, including income tax, amounting to approximately 7 billion won.
Yoo Yeon-seok established an entertainment agency called 'Forever Entertainment,' and it is reported that the National Tax Service conducted a tax investigation due to perceived tax issues during this process. Yoo Yeon-seok has contested the tax notice by filing a pre-assessment review in January and intends to actively clarify and correct the imposed tax amount.
Recently, actress Lee Ha-nee also faced a rigorous tax investigation by the National Tax Service, resulting in a tax bill of around 6 billion won for the corporation 'Hope Project,' which she established with her husband. Lee Ha-nee's side explained at that time, "This tax is due to differences in perspective between the tax authorities and the tax representative, and the full amount has been paid. It is not related to any intentional tax evasion."
Reporter Kang Sun-ae sakang@sbs.co.kr
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)