Cha Eun-woo, who paid 13 billion won in taxes, to be removed from the military band? Petition calls for dismissal, citing "sense of deprivation" among soldiers

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\r\n[Financial News] Tax evasion allegations surrounding singer and actor Cha Eun-woo are now spilling over into questions about his military service.
According to News1 on the 9th, a petition was filed on e-People requesting a review of whether Cha Eun-woo is suitable for his current post in the military band.
The petitioner argued, "The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea honor guard and military band are units deployed to major state ceremonies, including central government events, national holidays, events involving the President of the Republic of Korea, and state funerals, so they have high public visibility and symbolic significance," adding, "Given the scale and impact of the controversy, there is serious concern that this could lead to a sense of relative deprivation among soldiers and undermine trust in the fairness of the military organization."
The petitioner continued, "Assignments to the military band require a higher level of suitability review and risk management than ordinary posts in terms of external credibility, representativeness, and troop morale," and stated, "Because this issue is directly tied to the service of a celebrity soldier, the military must proactively assess how it will affect its honor and morale."
The petitioner stressed, "This is not an issue the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea should treat as a routine complaint. It must be handled strictly to protect the military's honor, public trust, and the morale of service members," and added, "The Service Support Group's personnel office and the Inspector General's Office should reexamine the suitability of his assignment and the review process, and take swift action if necessary."
An official in charge of e-People at the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea stated regarding the petition, "We have designated the Inspector General's Office of the unit in question as the department responsible for handling it," and added, "After verifying the facts, we will decide whether any measures are necessary and act accordingly."
Earlier, on the 8th, Cha Eun-woo acknowledged that he had been assessed additional taxes of about 13 billion won following a tax audit, and announced that he had paid the full amount and issued an apology.
In response, the petitioner said, "I had temporarily put on hold the filing of a follow-up petition, but since Cha Eun-woo issued another apology on April 8 over the controversy involving hundreds of billions of won in taxes, I submitted a follow-up petition to the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea on April 9, requesting a renewed review of changing his assignment."
A similar petition had already been filed in January. At that time, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea stated, "Service members' assignments are determined comprehensively within the scope of command authority in accordance with the Military Personnel Act and related regulations," and clarified, "There is currently no discussion or decision regarding a change of assignment for the individual in question."
The ministry also drew a line regarding calls to investigate the facts surrounding the tax controversy, saying, "If it does not involve misconduct related to military service, it does not fall within the scope of matters to be investigated."
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moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter