SOURCE: [단독] 김선호도 차은우처럼, 법인으로 정산금 받았다
On the 3rd, it was confirmed that Kim Seonho received payments for his entertainment activities through 'SH2,' a one-person company he started in January 2024, while still under his previous agency.
The reason Kim Seonho went so far to create a company to receive payments is being described as 'tax laundering.' If the income were recorded under Kim Seonho as an individual, an income tax rate of up to 49.5% would apply. However, if it was treated as the company's income, he would benefit from a corporate tax of up to 19%.
An official from his previous agency stated, "We simply just transferred the payment into the account he asked for."
This is considered as a clear act of tax avoidance, not tax saving, by taking advantages of differences in tax rates. Since the company's registered address is the same as Kim Seonho's residence, it is suspected to be a 'paper company.' Therefore, there is a high chance that all the money received through this company will be seen as 'diverted income.'
Lawyer Noh Jong-eon from Law Firm Jonjae stated, "Looking at the cases of Cha Eunwoo and Kim Seonho, moving income through unregistered companies is a key factor that undermines transparent tax management. It's time for relevant authorities to do thorough investigations and strict oversight in order to stop tax evasion that exploits these legal loopholes."
The explanation provided by his agency, Fantagio, also ended up backfiring him.
On the 1st, Fantagio responded to the tax evasion allegations surrounding Kim Seonho, saying, "The former one-person company was established for theater production and related activities. It was absolutely not established with the intention of reducing or evading tax deliberately."
Kim Seonho also failed to complete the mandatory registration as 'Popular Culture and Arts Planning Business.' Receiving payments (management revenue) without being registered constitutes a violation of the 'Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act' and may result in imprisonment of up to 2 years.
Lawyer Noh added, "Looking at Cha Eunwoo and Kim Seonho's cases, it's becoming clear that their failure to register as a 'Popular Culture and Arts Planning Business' is more than just a simple administrative mistake. It is being used by high-income celebrities as a way to avoid taxes."
Regarding this, Fantagio stated, "It is true that he temporarily received payments (from his previous agency) after the company was established."
