ENTERTAINMENT
Actress Lee Ha-nee Faces Real Estate Fund Source Allegations Following Tax Evasion Claims
In 2017, Lee Ha-nee's personal corporation acquired a property in Hannam-dong, Seoul, with a land area of 332㎡ (approximately 100 pyeong) and a two-story building for 6.55 billion won. The corporation was established with a capital of 10 million won, raising questions about the source of funds for the substantial real estate purchase, as there were no additional capital injections. The lack of records of loans taken against the property at the time of acquisition further fueled these suspicions.
The property was registered as the address for 'Hope Project Yongsan Branch,' but it appears that no branch registration was made in the corporate registry. Currently, the building houses a restaurant, generating rental income for Hope Project. The current market value of the property is estimated to be around 10 billion won. Regarding these allegations, Lee's agency, Team Hope, stated, "It is difficult to confirm specifics as it pertains to personal matters."
Previously, Lee Ha-nee disclosed that she had paid a tax penalty of 6 billion won, which is considered one of the largest in the entertainment industry. Comparatively, actress Song Hye-kyo paid approximately 3.5 billion won in 2012, Kwon Sang-woo around 1 billion won in 2020, and Jun Ji-hyun recently paid 20 million won in tax penalties.
In response, Team Hope stated, "Lee Ha-nee fully cooperated with the tax audit conducted by the Seoul Regional Tax Office as part of a non-regular integrated planning tax investigation for corporate artist businesses." They added, "Under the guidance of a tax advisor, she complied with the law and procedures, fulfilling her tax obligations. The additional tax was due to differences in perspective between the tax authorities and the tax advisor, and it has been fully paid. It is unrelated to any intentional tax evasion."
The Seoul Regional Tax Office reportedly discovered signs of tax evasion involving Lee Ha-nee and her former agency, Saram Entertainment, during a non-regular tax investigation in 2022, which has continued until recently.
Lee Ha-nee established the corporation 'Hanee' on October 5, 2015, later renaming it to 'Ireyun' in January 2018, and then to 'Hope Project' in September 2022. She served as the representative and internal director of the corporation until January 2023, but her husband, Mr. J, is now the representative, while Lee remains an internal director.
Lee Ha-nee married J, a financial industry professional two years her senior, on December 21, 2021, and welcomed a daughter six months later in June 2022.
