South Korean actress and Miss Korea 2006 Lee Hanee has been fined 6 billion won (US$4.2 million) in additional taxes, the highest penalty ever recorded in the country’s entertainment industry.
The Seoul Regional Tax Service launched an investigation into Lee and her company, Hope Project, in September last year, concluding she owed unpaid taxes, Chosun Biz reported. This surpasses past fines imposed on celebrities, including Song Hye Kyo (3.5 billion won in 2012) and Kwon Sang Woo (1 billion won in 2020).
The Gangnam Tax Office reportedly detected tax irregularities between Lee and her former agency, People Entertainment, during a non-regular tax probe in 2022.
Lee founded Hani Co., Ltd. in October 2015, later renaming it Ireeyun Co., Ltd. in 2018 and then Hope Project in 2022. She served as CEO and internal director until January 2023, when her husband took over as CEO while she remained as an internal director.
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South Korean actress and model Lee Hanee. Photo courtesy of Lee’s Instagram |
Her agency, TeamHope, responded to the case on Feb. 17, stating: “Lee Ha-nui faithfully responded to the tax investigation conducted by the Seoul Regional Tax Service as part of a non-regular comprehensive planning tax investigation for corporate business artist in the last year.”
“Lee Ha-nui has fulfilled her tax obligations faithfully in accordance with the law and procedures under the guidance of her tax representatives, and the additional tax she paid was due to differences in perspectives between the tax authorities and tax representatives, and that it has no relation to any intentional tax evasion.”
Born in 1983, Lee won Miss Korea 2006 and placed third runner-up at Miss Universe 2007. She gained recognition through films and dramas such as “Tazza: The Hidden Card,” “The Rebel,” “Extreme Job,” “The Fiery Priest,” and “Killing Romance.”
Her latest project, Netflix’s original drama “Ama,” is set for release soon.
