Hwang Jung-eum Pays Additional Taxes After Intense Tax Audit... "Interpretation Difference, Not Tax Evasion"

"Additional Tax Payment Due to Differences in Opinion"
"No Unpleasant Incidents Such as Intentional Tax Evasion or Non-Payment"
"Will Continue to Faithfully Fulfill Tax Obligations"

Actress Hwang Jung-eum was revealed to have paid additional taxes after undergoing an intensive tax audit last year.

Hwang Jung-eum's agency, Y1 Entertainment, stated in an official position on the 30th, "Actress Hwang Jung-eum underwent a tax audit by the National Tax Service in 2023, and during the coordination process between the tax authorities and the tax accountant, she paid additional taxes arising from differences in interpretation." They added, "As reported, there were no tax issues related to the purchase and sale of the building, and we inform you that there was no intentional tax evasion or delinquency or any other unfortunate incidents." They further explained, "Going forward, actress Hwang Jung-eum will continue to faithfully fulfill her tax obligations as a citizen in accordance with relevant laws."

Actor Hwang Jung-eum. Hwang Jung-eum Instagram

Earlier that day, a media outlet reported that Hwang Jung-eum was subjected to an irregular tax audit by the tax authorities in September last year and was imposed a large amount of additional taxes. Although the specific background of the tax audit has not been confirmed, considering the nature of the Seoul National Tax Service Investigation Division 2, it is interpreted as part of an 'irregular integrated tax audit for corporate business artist high-net-worth individuals.'

The Seoul National Tax Service Investigation Division 2 has previously conducted intensive tax audits on famous celebrities such as actors Kwon Sang-woo and Lee Byung-hun. On the 26th, it was also reported that Lee Junho, a member of the group 2PM and an actor, underwent a tax audit around the same time as Hwang Jung-eum. At that time, Lee Junho's side explained, "We filed tax returns faithfully based on the advice of our tax agent and paid additional taxes due to differences in perspectives between the tax authorities and the tax agent." They added, "This was the first irregular tax audit received in 17 years of activity, and we complied with the laws and procedures of the tax authorities and paid the tax amounts where there were differences in opinions. Allegations of intentional tax omission are not true."

Meanwhile, Hwang Jung-eum married professional golfer-turned-businessman Lee Young-don in 2016 and had two sons but faced divorce in February this year. The couple filed for divorce mediation once at the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch in September 2020 but reconciled in July 2021 after about a year. They have two sons, and it is known that Hwang Jung-eum currently has custody. In March 2018, she purchased a commercial building located in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for 6.25 billion KRW under the family corporation Hunminjeongeum Entertainment. She sold the building in October 2021, three years and seven months later, for 11 billion KRW, earning about 5 billion KRW in capital gains. Additionally, in May 2020, she purchased a detached house located in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, for 4.6 billion KRW. The house is reported to be a basement floor plus two stories above ground (land area 347㎡, total floor area 200㎡).