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📰 Korean Taxpayers’ Association: ‘Cha Eunwoo Tax Evasion Controversy — Principle of Presumption of Innocence Must Be Upheld… Tax Avoidance Is a Right’ “Does being assessed additional taxes make someone a tax evader? It’s character assassination born of ignorance. The Korean Taxpayers’ Association (KTA) commented on the tax evasion controversy involving singer and actor Cha Eunwoo (real name Lee Dongmin), stating, "Unilaterally condemning someone as a tax evader solely because they were assessed additional taxes reflects viewing taxation only from the perspective of state authority", and urged that the principle of presumption of innocence must be respected. The KTA is the only citizen organization in South Korea specializing in tax rights advocacy. In a press release on the 29th, the KTA explained, "Tax avoidance is a taxpayer’s right. If tax avoidance is successful, it is considered ‘tax saving’; if it fails, it is considered ‘tax evasion.’ The United States Supreme Court has ruled that ‘a taxpayer’s legal right to reduce or avoid taxes imposed on them within the scope permitted by law can never be an issue.’" The KTA further argued that labeling the company registered under Cha Eunwoo’s mother’s name as a 'paper company" violates the presumption of innocence, noting, "In the NeNe Chicken case, the National Tax Service (NTS) accused the son’s company of being a ‘paper company’ with no personnel or physical assets, and although the lower court initially ruled guilty, the Supreme Court ultimately acquitted the company." The KTA added, "Nonetheless, the media’s definitive labeling of the company as a ‘paper company’ violates the principle of presumption of innocence and risks prejudicing disputes and litigation, thereby infringing on taxpayers’ rights. The basic principle of criminal law — ‘even if it means freeing 100 criminals, not a single innocent person should suffer’ — must be upheld." The statement continued, "Leaking taxation information is illegal. Reports on celebrity tax investigations are unlikely without the leakage of tax information by tax officials. If the Commissioner of the NTS fails to investigate leaks and allows them to continue, it constitutes dereliction of duty. The NTS must rigorously audit and identify the officials responsible for leaking taxation information and punish them accordingly." The KTA emphasized, "‘Being assessed additional taxes = deserving condemnation’ is not a valid equation. On the contrary, the NTS, which creates tax laws that are difficult even for experts to understand and fails to provide adequate prior guidance, should be criticized. Condemning someone as a tax evader solely because they were assessed taxes amounts to character assassination born of ignorance." Meanwhile, Cha Eunwoo is reported to have been subjected to a high-intensity, irregular tax audit by the Seoul Regional Tax Office’s Fourth Investigation Division in July of last year, after which he was notified of an additional tax assessment exceeding 20 billion KRW.”