Actor Lee Min-ki pays back taxes after audit as agency clarifies that cas...

Actor Lee Min-ki attends a production presentation conference for the MBC drama ″Mary Kills People″ (2025) at MBC's Golden Mouse Hall in Mapo District, western Seoul, on July 31, 2025. [NEWS1]

Actor Lee Min-ki has paid back taxes following an audit into a one-person corporation, his agency Sangyoung ENT confirmed on Wednesday.

It denied any intentional wrongdoing on the actor's part, claiming that the shortfall stemmed from a difference in how the one-person company and

tax authorities interpreted the law at the time.

“[Lee] has always complied with the law and faithfully fulfilled his duty to pay taxes since his debut,” Sangyoung ENT said in a statement.

“Throughout the recent tax audit as well, [he] transparently submitted the relevant documents and fully cooperated with the investigation.”

According to the actor's agency, the back-tax assessment resulted from the differences between how the National Tax Service and the company interpreted tax law regarding the standards for booking expenses during corporate operations.

“We are making it clear that there was absolutely no intentional concealment of income or any kind of fraudulent evasion,” Sangyoung ENT said.

It added that it respected the National Tax Service's findings and that the assessed amount had been paid promptly through the proper procedures.

However, the agency did not disclose any details of the audit or the amount of back taxes assessed.

“We sincerely apologize once again for causing concern to many people,” Sangyoung ENT said. “We will review our tax and accounting management systems even more closely so that similar incidents do not occur in the future and will faithfully fulfill our tax obligations in accordance with the law and principles.”

Lee is best known for his appearances in “Because This is My First Life” (2017), “My Liberation Notes” (2022) and “Behind Your Touch” (2023).

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.