Actor Yoo Yeon-seok (real name Ahn Yeon-seok) has lost his second appeal against the National Tax Service.
According to reports by Edaily, the Tax Tribunal recently dismissed a tax appeal filed by Yoo against the National Tax Service. Upon hearing the news, an official from Kingkong by Starship, Yoo's agency, expressed a cautious stance, saying, "This matter stems from a difference in opinion regarding the interpretation and application of tax laws, and the related procedures are not yet fully concluded."
Previously in March of last year, the National Tax Service concluded that Forever Entertainment, a one-man agency headed by Yoo, did not provide substantial support for entertainment activities, prompting a tax audit and a notification that taxes amounting to around 6 billion won, including income tax, would be levied.
In response to the notice, Yoo's side filed a preliminary tax review as a first step of appeal. A preliminary tax review is a procedure allowing taxpayers to raise objections against a pre-assessment notice before an official tax disposition is issued. Through this process, a portion of the tax was recognized as double taxation, reducing the amount to the 3 billion won range, and Yoo paid the adjusted tax amount in full.
Subsequently, citing differing opinions on the interpretation of tax laws regarding the finalized 3 billion won tax amount after the reduction, Yoo's side filed a second tax appeal with the Tax Tribunal. A tax appeal is a formal appeal process to contest the cancellation of an already finalized tax disposition, which is a step further than the preceding preliminary tax review. However, the Tax Tribunal concluded this time that the National Tax Service's tax disposition was justified and dismissed the appeal.
Consequently, the possibility of Yoo's side taking legal action through an administrative lawsuit has grown.
Meanwhile, Forever Entertainment is a corporation established by Yoo in March 2015, registered for purposes including broadcasting and entertainment management, content development, record production, performance planning, and portrait rights business. Yoo has served as an internal director since its establishment and took office as CEO in November 2024.
Photo: Reporter Baek Seung-chul
(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Kyung-yoon)
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