It has been revealed that actress Jeon Jong Seo recently completed the registration of her personal agency as an official entertainment management business nearly four years after establishing the company prompting renewed public interest. Her side, however, has firmly denied any connection to recent controversies surrounding tax evasion allegations involving one-person agencies.
According to confirmation on February 10, Jeon Jong Seo registered her company, Summer Co., Ltd., which she founded in June 2022, as a pop culture and arts management business on February 4. This registration came approximately three years and eight months after the company’s establishment. Jeon Jong Seo serves as the CEO of the company, while her longtime partner, director Lee Chung Hyun, is listed as an internal director.
The company’s stated business purposes include film and drama content production, development, distribution, and agency services, as well as actor entertainment and management, rental of film and broadcast equipment and production facilities, and content planning and sales.
Under current Korean law, registration as a pop culture and arts management business is mandatory to legally operate a management agency. Industry observers believe Jeon Jong Seo proceeded with the registration after recognizing this requirement, albeit later than expected.
Her agency, Andmarq, has emphasized that the delayed registration has nothing to do with intentional concealment or tax-related wrongdoing. An Andmarq representative explained that Summer was originally created as a platform for creative collaboration between Jeon Jong Seo and director Lee Chung Hyun, noting that the company was used for Lee’s directing and screenwriting contracts, as well as a music video production in 2024.
Regarding the delay, the agency stated that because management was not initially intended to be the company’s primary business, they were unaware of the immediate need for registration. After becoming aware of related issues recently, they moved quickly to correct the oversight.
The agency also drew a clear line between Jeon Jong Seo and the recent tax avoidance or evasion debates involving separate personal corporations. According to Andmarq, all income generated from Jeon Jong Seo’s entertainment activities since signing her exclusive contract has been paid directly to her as an individual, leaving no room for such concerns.
Attorney Noh Jong Eon of Law Firm Jonjae commented that as more celebrities establish one-person agencies, cases of delayed registration due to operational inexperience or lack of legal awareness have become increasingly common. While he noted that Jeon Jong Seo’s late registration leaves some room for procedural criticism, he described it as an issue rooted more in administrative oversight than intent.
Sources: Nate