Official Statement: Refuting MBC "Straightโs" Misleading Report
This statement serves to refute the irresponsible and misleading information presented by MBCโs investigative program "@MBCstraight" (์คํธ๋ ์ดํธ) concerning #CHAEUNWOOโs tax assessment case.
The report in question contains several inaccuracies that distort the reality of the situation. Following a thorough fact-check of the available data, we present the following seven points to correct the record and expose the manipulation of facts, omissions, and deceptive editing present in the broadcast.
[Fact Check: 7 Points of Fabrication and Manipulation]
1. Intentional Misidentification of Target Entities and Concealment of L&C (์์์จ)
โThe Claim: The broadcast implied the entity under investigation was "Chaโs Gallery" (์ฐจ์ค๊ฐค๋ฌ๋ฆฌ), now known as "The Ani" (๋์ ๋).
โThe Fact: The actual agency that performed legitimate management services and received the tax assessment is "L&C" (์์์จ). MBC staged a scene visiting "The Ani" (๋์ ๋) representatives while completely concealing the name "L&C" (์์์จ) throughout the entire broadcast. "Chaโs Gallery" (์ฐจ์ค๊ฐค๋ฌ๋ฆฌ) is a previous entity that has long since been dissolved.
2. Deceptive Portrayal of Office Premises (The "Eel Restaurant" Frame)
โThe Claim: MBC showed a 2-story eel restaurant (Building A), claiming it was a "paper company" with no office presence.
โThe Fact: The site consists of four separate buildings (A, B, C, and D). While Building A is a restaurant, Building C is a fully independent, functional office space used by the agency. MBC intentionally hid the existence of Building C to push a "ghost company" narrative.
3. Fabrication of Revenue Settlement and Tax Evasion Claims
โThe Claim: CHA EUNWOO bypassed personal taxes by receiving all settlement money through a one-person agency.
โThe Fact: As documented in reports (Jan 22, 2026), revenue was strictly divided among three parties: FANTAGIO, CHA EUNWOO individually, and the corporation "L&C". It was not funneled exclusively into a corporation to evade taxes.
4. Malicious "800 Million KRW Loan" Frame and Omission of Repayment
โThe Claim: Highlighting an 800 million KRW loan under the corporate name to frame it as speculative real estate investment.
โThe Fact: MBC omitted the crucial fact that this entire loan was fully repaid within just one year, distinguishing it from cases of speculative profit-seeking.
5. Distortion of Real Estate Purpose and Brotherโs Business
โThe Claim: The agency purchased unnecessarily large plots of land (5,300 pyeong) for speculation.
โThe Fact: The site was already an established large-scale restaurant facility long before the purchase. Furthermore, the 2025 land acquisition is related to his brotherโs personal business, not CHA EUNWOOโs entertainment activities. This purchase occurred after "Chaโs Gallery" had already returned its Culture and Arts Planning Business license in 2022.
6. Concealing the True Context of "Investigation Bureau 4"
โThe Claim: The deployment of the 4th Investigation Bureau proves "aggressive tax evasion."
โThe Fact: The investigation actually began with Namgoong Kyun, Chairman of Mirae I&G, and stock manipulation allegations involving @fantagiogroup. CHA EUNWOOโs entity was swept into the investigation as a secondary "link" because of transactions with Fantagio, not because he was the primary target.
7. Fabrication of the Registration Timeline
โThe Claim: The agency operated illegally for years before registering.
โThe Fact: MBC conflated the timeline of the dissolved entity with the active one. "L&C" was legally registered for Culture and Arts Planning almost immediately upon its establishment in late 2022:
- June 15, 2022: Cha's Gallery registers.
- Oct 24, 2022: L&C is established.
- Oct 31, 2022: Cha's Gallery closes and returns license.
- Dec 2, 2022: L&C officially registers its license.
Source: Cha Eunwooโs Korean fan community research, via ๋๋ DC Gallery.
It hurts to see Eunwoo having to apologize to everyone in this way.
Eunwoo yaaa...just to let you know... We trust you and we will always be here for you. ๐ซ
โHe wouldnโt be investigated if it was only tax avoidance.โ
To shed light on some facts and clear up on this misunderstanding caused by the media & community smear campaign:
1. He isnโt being criminally investigated.
2. He was going through the standard tax audit, just like any working citizens with income.
3. Under Korean tax procedure, a proposed additional tax liability are administrative processes, not criminal convictions.
4. Still at Administrative Claim Phase i.e. Pre-Tax Assessment Notice (PTAN) with NTS. At this stage, any taxpayers have the rights to request for Review of Accuracy of Tax Imposition(RATI) prior to issuance of Tax Assessment Notice (TAN). That being said, even TAN has yet to be issued to him at this point of time.
5. Following the PTAN, he has submitted the application for RATI. Essentially, in laymen term, what it actually is is that before the tax authority can officially say โyou must pay this amountโ, the person can ask for a review to check if the tax claim is actually fair and correct. Once this review is requested, the tax office is not allowed to finalise the TAN yet. Everything is put on hold until the review is done by a panel made up of tax officers and outside experts like professors, accountants and lawyers. They look at the case and the evidence. The taxpayer can explain their side and submit more documents. If the panel agrees that the tax claim is wrong or too much, they cancel it or reduce it and the case ends. The RATI process typically takes several months to complete.
TLDR: Itโs a formal way to say โprove I actually owe thisโ before any tax becomes official.
6. This is what people are missing out too: Instead of negotiating for a reduced TAN like many public figures do to minimise their losses, he appears prepared to go through this RATI process which is slower, messier and far more public to reassess and challenge the basis of the additional tax, not just argue over the amount.
7. Yes, Iโve been reading and no, I didnโt simply make these facts out of nowhere. Reading suggestion to understand Korean tax procedure for non-Korean readers: Chambers Global Practice Guides
8. While serious tax evasion can lead to criminal investigation later, this is not whatโs happening here currently. This is an ADMINISTRATIVE REASSESSMENT not a CRIMINAL CONVICTION.