ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo has been in the spotlight after being caught up in a tax evasion case. The South Korean actor was fined 20 billion won. As reported by CNA Lifestyle, he is one of the Korean artists with the largest tax fines in the entertainment industry.
National Tax Service officials have raised suspicions about the one-man agency run by Cha Eun Woo's mother. Since his trainee days, he has remained under Fantagio, but Cha Eun Woo also has a one-man agency, which is suspected to be a tactic to evade taxes.
His income is split between Fantagio, the one-man agency run by his mother, and his personal income. The National Tax Service concluded that the profits earned by the one-man agency went back to Cha Eun Woo.
Therefore, he failed to pay over 20 billion won in income taxes. Cha Eun Woo's one-man agency's registered address was also considered odd because it was located at his parents' grilled eel restaurant, which is on Ganghwa Island.
Cha Eun Woo's case immediately drew comparisons with other global celebrities who have faced similar scandals, including Fan Bingbing, Zheng Shuang, Christiano Ronaldo, Willie Nelson, and Shakira.
According to an exclusive report by Sports Kyunghang, Cha Eun Woo ranks in the top six with the largest tax fines among global artists. In first place is Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who was ordered to pay over 140 billion won. This includes 46 billion won in unpaid taxes and 96 billion won in fines.
Next is Chinese actress Zheng Shuang, who owes 54 billion won due to tax evasion. Third place is Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who is accused of concealing approximately 14 billion won from his income between 2011 and 2014.
Despite initially denying the charges, Cristiano Ronaldo eventually reached a plea deal with Spanish tax authorities and admitted his guilt. He was sentenced to 23 months in prison with probation and fined a total of 24.2 to 24.9 billion won.
American singer Willie Nelson also attracted attention with his tax evasion case, placing him fourth in the world for the largest tax fines, reaching 22 billion won. Similarly, Colombian pop star Shakira evaded 21 billion won in income taxes, coming in fifth.
Cha Eun Woo, who ranked in the top six, underwent an audit with his mother before his military enlistment in July 2025. At the actor's request, the National Tax Service has just issued a notification regarding the audit results.
If the audit review request submitted by Cha Eun Woo and his attorney is accepted, he will not be required to pay the 20 billion won tax penalty. Conversely, if rejected, he will have to pay the amount and can also appeal to the tax authorities.
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