Writer Meow Lee, Taejun Park, ‘Tax Evasion Scenario’

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Reporter Junho Yoon of Ten Asia introduces trends in the entertainment industry. We look at the culture, fashion, and past works of celebrities across the entertainment industry and discuss fun and interesting aspects. Let's look back at what the needs of viewers have increased from the perspective of the MZ generation and what made it popular or uncomfortable with the public.

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One after another, webtoon writers were caught up in suspicions of tax evasion. Not only writer Yaongi, who became a star writer through 'True Beauty', but also writer Park Tae-jun of 'lookism' became the subject of a 'special tax investigation' by the National Tax Service. The other side of the ‘star writers’ shown in the media is shocking.

According to related industries on the 24th, the Seoul Regional Tax Office Investigation Bureau conducted an investigation into suspicions of tax evasion targeting The Grim Entertainment in Gangnam-gu, Seoul at the end of last year.

It was not a ‘regular tax audit’ conducted every 4-5 years. The National Tax Service conducted a ‘special tax investigation’. The National Tax Service conducts a ‘special tax investigation’ only on companies that are found to be suspected of tax evasion.

The National Tax Service was convinced of tax evasion and evasion by The Grim Entertainment and conducted an investigation to collect taxes. The Grimm Entertainment's sales in 2021 are approximately 6 billion won, and its CEO is Park Tae-jun, well known for the webtoon 'Lookism.'

In the meantime, faithful tax payment for 'copyright-related businesses' such as YouTubers and webtoon writers has become a hot topic. The scope of copyright, sales, and actual income were unclear, making accurate tax calculation difficult. This investigation is said to have demonstrated the National Tax Service's will to 'pay taxes faithfully' for new media businesses.

Webtoons are a new business field that has grown in recent years. It grew with the advent of the new media era. Among them, Taejun Park emerged as a representative writer in the industry. Several figures leading the industry are reporting unfortunate news. This investigation revealed hidden aspects of the industry. However, the ‘flimsy excuses’ related to taxes speak volumes about the immature status of the webtoon industry.

An official from The Grim Entertainment said, “There were parts where we were not familiar with accounting methods related to value-added tax on global sales rather than domestic sales.” This is the position of a company with annual sales of approximately 6 billion won. It is difficult to nod your head to the claim that ‘I didn’t know much.’

There is another ‘webtoon writer’ who has been criticized for tax evasion. He is a ‘meow writer’ who became famous for the webtoon ‘True Beauty’. Author Yaongi garnered attention not only for her webtoon, but also for her past history as a single mother and her visuals like a character in a cartoon.

Author Yaongi also underwent a tax investigation by the National Tax Service last year. After the recent announcement of the National Tax Service's investigation, the fact became known belatedly. Regarding this investigation, writer Yaongi said, “There are facts in which taxes were imposed on some items that were handled incorrectly.”

Author Yaongi was accused of evading value-added tax by supplying works subject to value-added tax through a corporation he established and reporting it as tax-exempt sales. There are also suspicions that he placed family members' names on the list of workers to receive processing labor costs, leaked corporate funds, and used several supercars under the company's name for personal use. In addition, circumstances were discovered showing that expensive luxury items were purchased using a corporate credit card.

The problem was an article written by Seon-wook Jeon, author of the webtoon ‘Free Draw’ and the current husband of author Meow. He said on his SNS, “Many of the stories (surrounding the artist Meow) have been exaggerated,” and “Both of us lived our lives without knowing anything and only drawing comics.”

The circumstances had already been captured, and the writer Yaongi had also admitted to some of the charges of tax evasion. The emotional appeal of the case was enough to arouse public disapproval.

The obligation to pay taxes is one of the four major obligations of citizens. There may be convenience and differences depending on the situation, but this applies to everyone. This is why the excuse of ‘ignorance’ cannot erase charges of tax evasion and evasion.

Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr