In Korea, residents are required to pay income tax, including our K-Pop stars. They'll need to pay tax on the money they make inside Korea and while touring abroad.
The Korean government has created an award, the National Tax Service Celebrity Model Taxpayer and Public Service Ambassadors, for celebrities. People "make mistakes filling out complex tax forms" state the experts at Faris CPA, but not these stars. The officials are using this to encourage citizens to pay their taxes instead of using fear.
Here's a list of celebrities that have won this award in the last few years.
2017- Yu Hae-Jin and Sungyeol
Yu Hae-Jin
Yu Hae-Jin received the award in 2017. He's had an interest in acting from a young age, however, it didn't come easy for him at first.
Since then, he's won a Best Supporting Actor award at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards for his role in A Taxi Driver.
Sungyeol
Sungyeol is a beloved K-Pop singer. He won the award alongside Yu Hae-Jin in 2017. A man of many talents, Sungyeol also acts. His debut role was in 2011 with While You Were Sleeping.
2018- Kim Hye-soo and Ha Jung-woo
Kim Hye-soo
One of our favorite K-Pop actresses, Kim Hye-soo, received the award in 2018. She's best known for her role in Coin Locker Girl and Familyhood.
She has starred in the television series Did We Really Love? and Revenge and Passion. You'll also see her as a host to award ceremonies and television programs.
Ha Jung-woo
The other 2018 recipient, Ha Jung-woo, is a beloved for his talent as an actor, producer, screenwriter, and director in the film industry. He's one of Korea's highest-paid actors.
Ha Jung-woo is known for his versatility. He can go from an action thriller movie to a romantic comedy with ease. He's best known for his role in Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds.
2019 - Seo Hyun-Jin and Lee Je-hoon
Seo Hyun-Jin
The 2019 recipient of the award was singer and actress Seo Hyun-Jin. In 2001, she made her singing debut as a member of the girl group, M.I.L.K.
Then, in 2006, we saw her acting career start when she was cast in The Sound of Music before starring in television series, Dr. Romantic and Temperature of Love.
Lee Je-hoon
One of our favorite Korean actors, Lee Je-hoon, received this award in 2019. He started his career with indie films and then moved to more commercial films recently. His breakthrough role was in Bleak Night, where he played a manipulative male that the critics loved.
2020 - IU and Lee Seo-jin
IU
IU won in 2020. The famous singer and songwriter has proven her status as a leading K-Pop star. She released her first album, Lost and Found, at the age of 15 and has been succeeding ever since.
Lee Seo-jin
Lee Seo-jin is one of our amazing actors and television hosts. He's best known for hosting the reality show Grandpa Over Flowers and Three Meals a Day.
Many people might not know this, but Lee Seo-jin has a degree from New York University in Business Management.
The Bottom Line
All Koreans should follow these role models and pay their income taxes every year. We love our K-Pop stars for their work as entertainers and also that they are remarkable citizens that follow the tax laws.
