According to the Korean media outlet Kukmin Ilbo, actor Jang Geun Suk has sorted out all of his tax issues and settled any underpayment that is due. The taxes owed concerned money that he made overseas, primarily when he worked in China.
The 28-year-old actor paid about $10 million in fines to the Seoul District National Tax service. The NTS charged him with not registering parts of his overseas profits but the six-month investigation into his finances did not result in further legal action. The actor paid what he owed. Prosecutors then closed the case without making any indictment.
Netizens began to speculate as to how much money the actor could have made overseas that he only had to pay a $10 million fine. Known as the "Prince of Asia," Jang Geun Suk is very popular in several Asian countries.
His agency Tree J Company told another Korean media outlet MyDaily that the results of the investigation are not newsworthy. Nor is it unusual for celebrities to be investigated like this.
"He underwent a normal investigation by the tax service so we don't understand why this is coming out again," said the Tree J representative.
The chairman of Jang Geun Suk's agency, who also has the last name Jang, reportedly also paid $1 million in fines. That case also ended without an indictment. The agency chairman was suspected of using security currency exchange to secretly deposit overseas profits in accounts that borrowed the names of celebrity clients. The NTS investigated several other celebrities that use this company to secure work in other countries.
The agency did not comment on these charges.
With his tax troubles behind him, Jang Geun Suk is busy filming a new reality variety show, "Three Meals A Day - Fishing Village" with Cha Seung Won and Yoo Hae Jin. The three actors must subsist on food they can find in their immediate environment, which in this case means catching and preparing fish.
Jang Geun Suk is not the only k-celeb whose income has been investigated. Actress Song Hye Kyo also made headlines for mistakenly underreporting her income and apologized to the public. Other Korean celebrities that have been investigated include actors Bae Yong Joon and Kim Ah Joong and comedian Kang Ho Dong.
Celebrities can occasionally be paid in cash so it is not difficult to omit some income. They can also exaggerate deductions. But as these figures are generally reported by their agencies, the celebrities themselves may not be aware they have incorrectly declared their income.
