As ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo continues to dominate headlines with his alleged ₩20 billion tax evasion scandal, an unexpected ripple effect is occurring in the world of K-drama, specifically with the 2022 Im Siwan series Tracerwho found himself in the spotlight.
As revelations in Cha Eunwoo’s case deepen, including claims that his entire family was involved in a tax evasion scheme using a shell company, the drama Tracerfocused on tax authorities’ hunt for financial criminals, has gone viral once again.
The infamous detective bureau no. 4 of the Seoul Regional Tax Bureau, often called the “grim reaper of the business world,” is at the center of Cha Eunwoo’s case. The bureau reportedly uncovered suspicious activities involving a one-person agency allegedly founded by Eunwoo’s mother, which ultimately slapped the idol with a huge tax bill believed to be the largest ever imposed on a Korean celebrity.
This real-world drama has inadvertently increased interest in Tracera show in which Im Siwan plays a relentless and sharp tax investigator who works in a division known as Taxation Bureau No. 5, a fictional counterpart of the same unit that investigates Eunwoo.
A recent viral post on Korean forum theqoo praised the drama’s relevance, with viewers praising Im Siwan’s character Hwang Dong Joo as fiercely intelligent, relentless and satisfying to watch. Many commenters joked that they discovered or rediscovered the show thanks to the Cha Eunwoo scandal.
– “This drama is ridiculously good.”
– “Thanks to Cha Eunwoo, I found my next binge.”
– “Hwang Dong Joo is a really brilliant character. I want to see him again now.”
– “Im Siwan’s performance is top notch. He nailed the role.”
– “The plot is sharp, the pace is perfect and the message hits hard.”
Some fans even got into it Tracer to other top dramas about financial justice, such as 38 Task Forcewhich also addressed the problem of unpaid taxes and white-collar crime.
While Cha Eunwoo’s legal battle may have just begun, Tracer has earned renewed praise as a compelling, relevant and entertaining watch in the midst of real-life controversies, proving once again that life imitates art and vice versa.
Sources: theqoo
