A complaint regarding actress Lee Ha-nee's alleged tax evasion amounting to tens of billions of won has been filed.
On the 20th, a media outlet reported that a complaint requesting an investigation into Lee Ha-nee's tax evasion and embezzlement (aggravated punishment for specific property crimes) was received by the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul.
The submitted request for investigation raised three main issues: ▲ Lee Ha-nee was imposed a tax penalty of 6 billion won, the largest in the entertainment industry ▲ A corporation (Hope Project) started with a capital of 10 million won purchased real estate worth 6.5 billion won within two years ▲ The corporation paid 2.7 billion won in salaries despite having no regular employees from 2021 to 2023.
Additionally, it was claimed that the fact that the corporation paid millions of won in rent while having the same address as Lee Ha-nee and her husband supports the allegations of embezzlement and breach of trust.
The individual who filed the complaint, referred to as A, stated, “Last year, national MC Yoo Jae-suk underwent a rigorous tax investigation by the National Tax Service, but no errors in tax reporting or intentional tax evasion were found. In comparison, the Lee Ha-nee case reveals a serious social issue of asset accumulation and tax evasion using a corporation.”
Previously, Lee Ha-nee's agency, Team Hope, stated, “Lee Ha-nee faithfully responded to the tax investigation conducted by the Seoul Regional Tax Office as part of a non-regular integrated planning tax investigation for corporate artist businesses, and complied with the law and procedures under the advice of tax representatives, fulfilling her tax obligations.”
They also mentioned, “A source of funds investigation was conducted at the time of real estate acquisition, and sufficient documentation, including income certificates and financial transaction details including loans, was submitted, and all procedures were carried out legally.”
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
