Cha Eun Woo Pulled From More Brands as Military Promotion Videos Are Also Removed

Videos featuring Cha Eun Woo have been removed from an official South Korean military channel as scrutiny over his alleged tax issues continues to grow. On January 28, 2026, videos starring Cha Eun Woo were quietly switched to private on “KFN Plus,” a YouTube channel operated by the Defense Media Agency. 

The move comes amid mounting allegations that he may have evaded hundreds of billions of won in taxes. Cha enlisted for mandatory military service in July last year. Beginning in late December 2025, he appeared in four episodes of the popular military content series “Stories From That Day in the Army” as a new storyteller. 

The series has previously featured high-profile enlisted celebrities such as Song Kang and NCT’s Taeyong. In the episodes, Cha narrated the story of the U.S. Air Force Colonel Dean Hess and Chaplain Russell Blaisdell, who helped evacuate more than 1,000 Korean War orphans to Jeju Island during the conflict.

The removal follows a wave of similar moves across the advertising industry. Skincare brand Abib was among the first to make the actor’s promotional content private, with other companies quickly following suit. 

Brands across the finance, fashion, and education sectors, including Shinhan Bank, Marithe Francois Girbaud, and Daesung MIMAC, have also pulled or hidden advertisements featuring him. Notably, some companies continued to remove content even after Cha and his agency released official statements addressing the situation. 

E-commerce platform SSG.com and now the Ministry of National Defense have both taken steps to distance themselves by limiting public exposure of his appearances. Cha Eun Woo is currently facing an income tax reassessment exceeding 20 billion KRW. 

Authorities reportedly suspect he attempted to lower his tax burden by routing income through a corporation established by his mother, applying a corporate tax rate well below the top 45% personal income rate. 

The entity has been described as a paper company with no substantial business activity. Fantagio responded by stressing that the case centers on whether the corporation qualifies as a legitimate taxable entity, adding that “no final decision or official assessment has been made.”