An exhibition of photos of singer and actor Cha Eun-woo will take place in Japan despite ongoing investigations into suspicions of tax evasion in the millions of dollars.

The exhibition, titled “Afterimage,” will be held in Tokyo’s Ginza district from March 28 to May 12.


“This is a project that was already contracted in August 2024 and is proceeding according to the schedule agreed at the time,” Fantagio, Cha’s agency, said.

Cha, who is currently serving in the military, will not be in attendance, but the exhibition still marks his first official event since the allegations surfaced.

The allegations center on a one-person agency registered under Cha’s parent, with which the actor had signed a management service contract, allowing income to be taxed at the corporate tax rate rather than the top personal income tax rate of 45 percent.

Tax authorities reportedly determined that the corporation qualified as a paper company that did not provide substantive services. In January, the National Tax Service ordered Cha to pay more than 20 billion won ($13.7 million) in back taxes.

Cha, who is currently serving in the Army military band, addressed the issue directly through social media on Jan. 26.

“I sincerely bow my head in apology,” he wrote in a statement uploaded to Instagram. “This incident has led me to deeply reflect on whether my attitude toward fulfilling my duty as a Korean citizen to pay taxes was strict enough, and I am genuinely remorseful.”

Fantagio explained that the key issue is whether the corporation established by the parent constitutes a legitimate subject of substantive taxation.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]