South Korean actor and singer, Lee Joon Gi has reportedly been charged a tax bill of 900 million won. However, the actor born in 1982 has filed a complaint against the tax authority's decision and has filed a judicial review with the Tax Court.
According to local media reports on March 19, 2025, the Gangnam Tax Office in Seoul began a tax investigation into Lee Joon Gi and his agency, Namoo Actors, in 2023. During this process, the National Tax Service (NTS) charged Joon Gi an additional 900 million won in taxes.
In response, Lee Joon Gi filed for a pre-judgment review, but his request was denied. Eventually, the "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo" star filed an official appeal with the National Tax Court.
The background to the tax assessment was when NTS identified issues related to transactions between Namoo Actors and Joon Gi's personal agency, J Entertainment. The actor founded J Entertainment in January 2014. However, Lee Joon Gi also signed an exclusive contract with Namoo Actors later that year.
The contract was structured so that Namoo Actors would pay appearance fees to J Entertainment, not directly to Lee Joon Gi. As a result, J Entertainment has reported Lee Joon Gi's appearance fees as corporate income and paid corporate taxes accordingly.
However, NTS has raised concerns about this payment arrangement. NTS claims that the tax invoices issued between Namoo Actors and J Entertainment do not reflect the actual situation. According to NTS, the fees received from Namoo Actors should be classified as personal income.
Given that the highest corporate tax rate is 24 percent, while the highest personal income tax rate is 45 percent, the NTS determined that there was significant potential for tax evasion by Lee Joon Gi and Namoo Actors.
NTS then rejected the corporate tax paid by J Entertainment and reclassified it as personal income tax. They then imposed an additional tax of 900 million won on Lee Joon Gi. However, Lee Joon Gi's side filed a complaint over the decision.
A representative from Namoo Actors stated, "Lee Joon Gi respects the tax authority's decision and has paid the full amount of tax. However, this decision is completely different from NTS's current tax practices."
Lee Joon Gi's side further explained, "The Gangnam Tax Office believes that Namoo Actors should have paid the appearance fee directly to Lee, but we have diligently reported our taxes based on established practices, based on the advice of our tax consultant."
On the other hand, the tax issue has become more heated with reports of a luxury penthouse in Cheongna, Incheon, acquired by JG Entertainment in 2021 for 2.95 billion won. The property is rumored to be Lee Joon Gi's private residence, sparking further investigation.
However, Lee Joon Gi's representatives firmly denied the claims, and clarified that the penthouse serves as JG Entertainment's official headquarters. Tax authorities have reviewed the matter and found no violations of the law regarding the property.
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