What’s The Big Deal?
So, here’s the tea. News reports are saying that the Seoul Regional National Tax Service conducted a major tax audit on Park Na-rae and her one-person agency, Enpark, back in late 2022. Apparently, from July 2018 to mid-2021, she earned nearly 10 billion won (about $7.5 million USD) but kept most of it within her company. Tax authorities started investigating because they suspected she might have faked business expenses or not reported all of her income.
Sketchy Company Business?
One of the most talked-about parts of this scandal is how her company was set up. Park Na-rae’s mother was listed as the CEO of her agency. However, reports allege that her mom didn’t actually work there but was still paid millions of won every month, totaling nearly 80 million won (around $60,000) a year. If you have someone on the payroll who isn’t actually working, that’s a huge red flag for tax investigators here in Korea. It’s often seen as a way to illegally write off expenses and pay less tax.
From Billions to Millions?
This is where it gets even more interesting. Initially, the tax office estimated she might have evaded at least 2 billion won. But here’s the twist: the investigation reportedly concluded with them only charging her around 200 to 300 million won. This massive drop has led to suspicion that she might have received some kind of preferential treatment, which is a whole other level of scandal.
Not Her First Rodeo
This isn’t Park Na-rae’s first time dealing with controversy. She’s also been tangled in legal disputes with her former managers over allegations of workplace harassment and other issues. With all these problems piling up at once, she has currently suspended her activities, and people are wondering if she’ll be able to make a comeback. It’s a messy situation for one of Korea’s most famous comedians. We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out!
