As controversy surrounding Cha Eun Woo is spreading, the tax payment method of MC Yoo Jae Suk - an artist who has never been detected with any tax fraud signs, even during a rigorous inspection in 2024 - is being compared and praised.
According to Korean media, Yoo Jae Suk has a different way of paying taxes than most artists.
Tax expert Yoon Na Kyum revealed that, usually, high-income artists will choose the form of accounting book declaration to be able to deduct expenses and reduce tax payable.
However, Yoo Jae Suk is said to have chosen the form of declaration according to the standard cost ratio (estimated declaration) - a higher tax burden option, instead of declaration based on cost documents.
Expert Yoon explained: "If you earn 10 billion won a year and declare taxes according to books, the tax payable is about 2.7 billion won. But if applying a standard cost ratio of 8.8% like Yoo Jae Suk, the tax payable will be up to 4.1 billion won.
Regarding the reason Yoo Jae Suk chose the special tax payment method, analysts said that this is a strategic decision, aimed at completely eliminating the risk of tax scandals, while reducing the time and energy spent on complex tax management.
He assessed: "This is a rare case of choosing trust instead of money. It can be said that he has correctly practiced the spirit of social responsibility of a person in a position. Paying taxes honestly is something worthy of honoring.
Meanwhile, tax evasion suspicions of actor Cha Eun Woo began to erupt on January 22.
The South Korean National Tax Department accused Cha Eun Woo of evading personal income tax through a "ghost company" founded by his mother and the actor himself holding the position of internal director.
The tax amount requested to recover from the handsome man born in 1997 exceeded 20 billion won (nearly 360 billion VND), which is the highest tax evasion among Korean artists and ranks in the Top 6 global celebrities.
When the contrast between Cha Eun Woo's tax evasion and Yoo Jae Suk's transparent tax payment spread widely online, Yoo Jae Suk's integrity continued to be praised - not only for his professionalism, but also because he set a strong standard in the entertainment industry that is often involved in financial disputes.
Yoo Jae Suk, born in 1972, is the most prestigious and influential figure in the Korean entertainment industry. He is known as the "national MC", the "man without scandals".
Throughout his career, Yoo Jae Suk has participated and hosted many famous TV shows such as "Running Man", "Infinite challenge", "Hangout with Yoo", "Happy together", "You quiz on the block"...
