Lee Byung-hun and Kwon Sang-woo "mistake in the accounting process" over controversy of additional charges

▲ These photos, provided by each agency, show actors Lee Byung-hun and Kwon Sang-woo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- Actors Lee Byung-hun and Kwon Sang-woo each have expressed their position that imposition of fines from the National Tax Service happened because of the mistake in accounting process. 

Regarding the alleged tax evasion, Lee Byung-hun's agency BH Entertainment said on Tuesday, "There has never been anything unsavory related to taxes in the past 30 years," adding, “He was sincerely audited, and there is no problem at all."

"It seems that the National Tax Service did not recognize that the actor (Lee Byung-hun) paid taxes as withholding tax while paying bonuses to employees," the agency said, adding, "He also expressed his intention to donate some of the 2020 advertising guarantees as Corona donations, and there was a mistake in the accounting process."

Regarding the report that Kwon Sang-woo paid 1 billion won in additional fines, Kwon Sang-woo's agency Su Company also said, "The tax authorities demanded a clarification on the timing of the profit and loss attribution, and it was different from the previous report, so we revised it and voluntarily paid the difference."

"During the accounting process, payment and refund occurred at the same time, so it was report of correction," he said. "There were no omission and evasion."

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)

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