The management agency representing South Korean actor Ji Chang-wook has firmly denied allegations that the star deliberately dodged his taxes, following reports that tax authorities ordered him to pay billions of won in additional dues.
Spring Company, his agency, released a statement on Tuesday through the Korean entertainment news site Soompi, clarifying that there was no malicious intent to hide income or shirk tax duties.
”We would like to clearly state that there was absolutely no intentional omission of income or tax evasion through dishonest means,” Spring Company said.
The clarification was issued after news broke that the actor, who starred in the zombie horror film Colony, underwent a financial audit by the National Tax Service, which resulted in a hefty fine amounting to billions of won.
According to Spring Company, they fully cooperated with the investigation, explaining that the issue stemmed from a disagreement over how specific tax laws are applied.
”However, we found that there was a difference in opinion with the tax authorities on the interpretation and application of tax laws regarding whether the earnings from the actor’s activities in the entertainment industry should be attributed to the individual or the corporation under the principle of taxation based on economic substance,” the agency explained.
The management company stressed that Ji has consistently met his tax obligations since his industry debut in 2008 and holds full respect for the decisions of the tax bureau. They also confirmed that the mandated penalty fees would be settled properly.
”Therefore, we plan to pay the imposed penalty tax without delay, in accordance with the relevant procedures,” the statement added.
Moving forward, Spring Company pledged to review and tighten its internal accounting systems to prevent any future tax-related misunderstandings.
Ji joins a list of South Korean celebrities who have recently faced similar tax audits, including Cha Eun-woo, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Honey Lee.
The actor is renowned globally for his leading roles in television dramas such as The K2, Lovestruck in the City, Welcome to Samdal-ri, and The Manipulated.
He currently stars in the reality series Kumusta, which streams on Viu and broadcasts on Philippine free-to-air television via TV5.