Actor and singer Cha Eun Woo (a member of Astro) is becoming the focus of attention after the South Korean Ministry of National Defense confirmed that he will continue to serve in a military band, despite many petitions requesting to change his job position due to tax disputes.
Previously, a petition was sent through the national civil complaint system, questioning whether Cha Eun Woo's service in the military band was appropriate.
Opponents argue that the military band regularly participates in public events and promotional activities, making this a highly recognizable position. This has sparked controversy about the fairness and public image of Cha Eun Woo after the recent tax scandal.
However, the Ministry of National Defense has now responded for the second time and affirmed that there is no basis to transfer the male artist.
Officials cited internal personnel regulations of the military, saying that the transfer is only considered in specific cases such as health issues, disciplinary violations, unit restructuring or combat needs.
The Ministry of Defense emphasized that Cha Eun Woo does not belong to any of the cases mentioned above, so he will continue his current duties without change. At the same time, they also said that personal details related to the incident are kept confidential to protect privacy.
Previously, in January, Cha Eun Woo faced a public storm after information about his tax issue exploded. The actor was investigated by the Korean National Revenue Service on suspicion of tax evasion through a family company.
Initial information said that he was retroactively charged about 20 billion won - considered the highest tax arrears for Korean celebrities, causing a shock to the entertainment industry.
But after the review and adjustment process, the actual tax amount Cha Eun Woo had to pay additionally was finalized at 13 billion won.
The male artist apologized in April, announced that he had completed paying additional taxes, and promised to carefully review his activities to avoid repeating similar incidents.
However, there was later another petition requesting a review of his service position in the military.
The decision of the South Korean Ministry of National Defense has caused mixed reactions on social networks.
Some argue that it is necessary to strictly monitor the military positions of celebrities; while others argue that standard regulations should be applied fairly to all military personnel regardless of public status.
Meanwhile, fans were worried that the tax scandal would cause the movie project "The wonderfools" starring Cha Eun Woo and Park Eun Bin to be delayed for release.
But finally Netflix announced that this action comedy movie will be released on May 15.
According to Soompi, among the 7 Korean dramas released in May, "The Wonderfools" ranked first in terms of interest with a rate of 32.92%.
