ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo Blasted For Media Play About His Alleged Crime

ASTRO‘s Cha Eunwoo was previously swept up in allegations of tax evasion. He recently paid is approximately ₩20.0 billion KRW (about $13.5 million USD) in taxes, leading some to speculate that he had effectively admitted to tax evasion.

On April 11, a Korean news article claimed that tax professionals argue that this interpretation may be misleading. Cha Eunwoo stated on April 8, “I respect the procedures and results of the National Tax Service and paid the relevant taxes to prevent further confusion,” adding that he takes responsibility for any shortcomings.

Industry experts note that it’s common for taxpayers to pay first while proceeding with an appeal, in order to reduce potential penalties. This means full payment does not necessarily indicate intentional wrongdoing.

There is also a possibility that some of the amount could be adjusted or refunded later, depending on how issues like double taxation, such as corporate and value-added taxes, are resolved. Notably, authorities reportedly did not apply heavy penalties typically associated with deliberate tax evasion, which can reach up to 40%. Instead, only standard underreporting penalties were applied. As a result, Cha Eunwoo’s decision to pay in full was reportedly seen as a move to resolve the situation quickly while leaving room for further administrative review.

Following this point of view, netizens were quick to dismiss the article as a form of media play.

• Wordplay.
• This is like saying I drove while drunk, but did not commit a DUI.
• WTF is he saying.
• WTH is he saying.
• It’s so obvious he tried to evade taxes, so why are people trying to shield him? It must be fun for him to live such an easy life. Those boy crazy fans are impressive.
• Ugh.

Cha Eunwoo recently paid the owed funds, leading many to regard it as an admission of guilt. You can read more about it below.

All Eyes Are On ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo As He Attempts To Regain The Public’s Trust