Singer and actor Cha Eun-woo has completed tax payments related to allegations of tax evasion amounting to 20 billion won and issued his second official apology.

On the 8th, Cha Eun-woo posted on his SNS, "I sincerely apologize for disappointing and confusing many people, including my fans, due to the recent tax payment controversy involving me." He added, "I had to be cautious in expressing my position during the ongoing administrative procedures, and I apologize once again for the delay in making this statement."

Cha Eun-woo emphasized, "I respect the procedures and results of the National Tax Service and have paid all related taxes to prevent further confusion," and said, "I will also faithfully comply with the remaining procedures." He continued, "Having carried out my activities with the love and support of many people, I take this matter very seriously and deeply. If there were parts I did not sufficiently oversee, the responsibility lies entirely with me. I will not evade responsibility by saying I 'did not know' or that it was 'someone else's judgment' for any reason."

Regarding the establishment of a corporation, Cha Eun-woo explained, "During a period of various changes and confusion in my activities, I established a corporation as part of the preparation to continue my activities more stably." He added, "Looking back now, there were parts I did not sufficiently oversee in that process, and I believe the responsibility lies with me, not my family or the company." He also said, "This incident has made me realize the need to reflect on myself deeply," and apologized again, saying, "Above all, it pains me the most and I am sorry for disappointing the fans and Aroha who have trusted me." He stated, "To prevent the same issue from recurring, I will review all future activities with more careful and strict standards."

Cha Eun-woo underwent a high-intensity tax audit by the Seoul Regional Tax Office in the first half of last year and was reportedly notified of additional income tax of over 20 billion won. The National Tax Service raised issues with Cha Eun-woo's agency Fantagio signing a management service contract with a corporation established by Cha Eun-woo's mother to apply a corporate tax rate lower than the individual income tax rate. Additionally, suspicions of a paper company arose as the address of the corporation established by Cha Eun-woo's mother was revealed to be an eel restaurant operated by Cha Eun-woo's parents in Ganghwa-do. The National Tax Service also imposed a penalty of 8.2 billion won on the agency for false tax invoice transactions with the mother's corporation.

At the time, Fantagio stated, "The main issue is whether the corporation established by Cha Eun-woo's mother is subject to substantive taxation," and added, "This matter has not been finally confirmed or notified, and we plan to actively clarify the issues related to legal interpretation and application through proper procedures."

In January, Cha Eun-woo also issued an apology, stating, "I will humbly accept the final judgment made by the relevant authorities and fulfill my responsibilities accordingly." Meanwhile, after enlisting as an active-duty soldier in the army in July last year, when allegations arose that he enlisted to evade the tax investigation which had not yet been concluded, Cha Eun-woo explained, "I am currently serving in the military, but my enlistment was not an intentional choice to avoid this controversy," and added, "I had no choice but to enlist as I could no longer postpone it, so I entered the military without completing the tax investigation procedures."