Cha Eun-woo to Hold Photo Exhibition in Japan Two Months After 20 Billion Won Tax Evasion Allegations

[Financial News] Cha Eun-woo, a member of the group Astro and an actor who is facing tax evasion allegations, is set to hold a photo exhibition in Japan.
It was confirmed on the 16th through a local Japanese website that Cha Eun-woo will host a behind-the-scenes photo exhibition titled "Afterimage" in Ginza, Tokyo, from the 28th of this month to May 12.
According to Newsis News Agency, his agency stated, "This exhibition is a project for which a contract was already signed in August 2024, and it is being carried out according to the schedule agreed at that time," adding, "As Cha Eun-woo is currently serving in the military, he will not attend."
This photo exhibition is his first official event since the controversy over alleged tax evasion. In January, Cha Eun-woo was hit with an additional tax bill of more than 20 billion won by the National Tax Service of South Korea, which led to suspicions of tax evasion.
Cha Eun-woo had signed a management service contract with a one-person agency established by his mother. The tax authorities interpreted this as an attempt to benefit from the lower corporate tax rate instead of the higher personal income tax rate and concluded it constituted tax evasion.
Regarding the tax evasion controversy, Cha Eun-woo said, "As a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I am reflecting deeply on whether I have maintained a sufficiently strict attitude toward my duty to pay taxes," and added, "I will humbly accept the final decision and take full responsibility." However, he later challenged the National Tax Service's decision and filed a pre-assessment review of the tax ruling.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter