Male idol Cha Eun Woo (Astro) is currently involved in a large-scale tax investigation by the Korean National Tax Department. According to announcements from functional agencies, he is required to pay an additional 20 billion won (nearly 360 billion VND) in taxes, including income tax, on charges of tax evasion. This is considered one of the largest retroactive payments ever applied to a celebrity in Korea.
The collection originated from a tax audit conducted in the spring of last year, right before Cha Eun Woo enlisted in the army in July. Immediately after receiving the conclusion, the male artist officially filed a protest and is currently awaiting the results of the pre-appraisal review to decide on the next appeal steps.
According to an exclusive report by Edaily on January 22, 2026, the case is handled by Investigation Bureau No. 4 of the Seoul Department of Taxation - the unit specializing in handling serious tax evasion cases. The focus of the investigation revolves around Cha Eun Woo and his family being suspected of using the "one-person company" model to reduce personal income tax obligations.
Specifically, a company founded by Cha Eun Woo's mother was placed as an intermediary between him and the management company Fantagio. Fantagio signed a service contract with this company to support the male artist's entertainment activities, from which Cha Eun Woo's income was distributed through various legal entities.
However, the National Tax Department concluded that the above-mentioned company did not provide real services and was considered a "ghost company". Functional agencies believe that the establishment of this company was aimed at shifting personal income - which is subject to a tax rate of up to 45% - to corporate income with a tax rate 20 percentage points lower.
A tax official said that the company's registered address is located in a remote area on Ganghwa Island, not suitable for entertainment activities. Although many imported vehicles and costs are declared under the company's name, investigators did not record any differences in service compared to Fantagio's role.
Not only Cha Eun Woo, Fantagio was also affected by the incident. In August last year, this company was retroactively collected an additional 8.2 billion won (145 billion VND) in taxes, including value-added tax, with accusations of handling invalid tax invoices issued by Cha Eun Woo's mother's company. Although Fantagio filed a complaint, the retroactive decision was still maintained.
After interrogating Cha Eun Woo and his mother, the tax authorities concluded that all final financial benefits belonged to the male artist, thereby determining that he had not fulfilled his tax obligations of more than 20 billion won (nearly 360 billion VND). At Cha Eun Woo's request, the official announcement was only issued after he completed military service procedures.
Cha Eun Woo's side affirmed that the tax authority's conclusion was unfair. The male artist's representative said that the company founded by his mother is a legal entity in the field of cultural and entertainment management, established to protect Cha Eun Woo's professional activities in the context of Fantagio continuously changing the leadership and not a "shell" company as accused.
In case the pre-appraisal review request is approved, Cha Eun Woo will not have to pay the tax that has been recovered. Conversely, if it is rejected, he can continue to pursue other legal measures such as appealing to the Tax Court or the Audit and Inspection Agency. According to sources, the male artist is also considering the possibility of withdrawing the current petition to directly sue the Tax Court.
