Cha Eun Woo is considering a lead role in the director's new project "The Tycoon's Underworld", expected to be titled "Seorabeol Knife" (tentatively translated: "Seorabeol Knife"). The information attracted attention as the actor is still on military service and continuing to handle issues related to taxes of about 13 billion won.
On August 11, management company Fantagio confirmed that "Seorabeol Knife" is on the list of projects Cha Eun Woo is considering. However, the actor has not officially accepted and the two sides have not yet entered a specific discussion process.
Seorabeol Knife" is a romantic film revolving around cuisine, directed by Jang Tae Yu. He once stood behind "Prince of Tycoons", a film starring Yoona and Lee Chae Min, achieving the highest viewership rating of 17.1%.
The new project is said to be in the same world as "The Tycoon's Royal Tramp" but has its own story and character line. Previously, some information called the work "The Tycoon's Royal Tramp 2". However, Fantagio affirmed that this way of calling is not accurate. "Seorabeol Knife" is currently the only expected name, set in the Tan La period and revolves around a love story associated with cuisine. The work is also being discussed about the possibility of being broadcast on tvN.
If he accepts, Cha Eun Woo will take on a new character, instead of continuing Lee Chae Min's role in "The Prince of Tycoons".
Cha Eun Woo enlisted in July 2025 and is expected to be discharged on January 27, 2027. There is currently no official information about his schedule of activities after discharge.
Besides the return plan, Cha Eun Woo still receives attention from the tax-related case. In early 2026, he received a notice of tax arrears of more than 20 billion won after an inspection by the Korean National Revenue Service.
The case involves a company named after Cha Eun Woo's mother, which is used to manage the actor's activities. The tax authorities believe that part of Cha Eun Woo's income should be calculated according to personal income tax instead of through this company.
After the process of reviewing and adjusting some duplicate taxable items, the final amount recovered was determined to be around 13 billion won. Cha Eun Woo has completed the payment of this amount.
In April, the actor spoke out about the incident during his military service. Cha Eun Woo took responsibility for the shortcomings in the company's establishment and operation, and said that he had not fully considered some related issues.
Although financial obligations have been fulfilled, the case has not yet closed. At the beginning of August, Fantagio confirmed that Cha Eun Woo had filed a request for consideration of the tax arrears decision with the Tax Court. The company said that the actor carried out this procedure in accordance with legal regulations and declined to comment further because the case is being resolved.
