Honey Lee was recently linked to a potential appearance in a new tvN drama, marking what some are describing as an unusually quick return to the small screen. This comes after facing multiple controversies, including tax disputes, alleged suspicions of embezzlement, and running a one-person agency without proper registration.
In September 2024, it was revealed that Honey Lee was subjected to a tax audit by the Seoul Regional Tax Office and was ordered to pay approximately KRW 6 billion in additional income taxes. At the time, his agency Team Hope stated: “The additional tax is the result of divergent interpretations between tax authorities and tax representatives. The entire amount has been paid and this has no relation to intentional tax evasion.”
Despite the explanation, public sentiment remained critical. Many have pointed out that while most entertainers operate under a single management agency, Honey Lee founded a personal company and turned part of her income as business income, an approach widely perceived as a way to benefit from lower tax rates. The large amount of additional taxes imposed also reportedly fueled public resentment and a sense of relative deprivation.
The controversy didn’t end there. Further complaints were filed through the national petition portal, asking how a company where Honey Lee served as an in-house director was able to purchase high-value properties shortly after its incorporation with minimal capital. Although the police investigation ended without any charges being brought, the slew of celebrity issues has contributed to public fatigue.
Additionally, it was revealed that a company jointly run by Honey Lee and her husband had failed to register as an entertainment management business, leading to the case being forwarded to prosecutors. Overall, critics argue that Honey Lee’s long-term operation of an individual agency for personal convenience, along with Administrative negligence and ethical errorsdamaged public trust. Despite this, she did not take a significant break and instead continued her acting career without one a long period of self-reflection.
Honey Lee has previously built a strong image through roles in dramas such as One womanwhere he played confident, justice-driven characters. However, controversies surrounding his private affairs have led to disappointment among viewers who once praised his honest public persona.
She is now reportedly considering a lead role in tvN’s upcoming drama Promoterin which she would play South Korea’s first female boxing promoter, a real-life influential figure from the 1980s boxing scene. The project, directed by Lee Jong-seok, centers on a brilliant, hard-working boxer and the woman who plays a key role in turning him into a star.
Public reactions remain divided. Some say casting a star surrounded by recent controversy in a sports drama based on a real person could break immersion, while others question whether his return to television is in the works. too fast.
Sources: Nate News
