The case is linked to Kim Seon Ho.
Koreaboo
Amid growing allegations of tax evasion in the entertainment industry involving one-person agencies, it has been confirmed by Korea media outlets that actress Park Shin Hye also operated a one-person agency for an extended period. The structure is reportedly similar to cases that sparked controversy, including that of ASTRO‘s Cha Eun Woo.
According to capital market and entertainment industry sources on February 27, 2026, as reported by Chosun Biz, Park Shin Hye operated a one-person agency called Ebenezer Entertainment from 2015 to 2021. At the time, the registered address of Ebenezer was listed as Park’s home address, effectively making it a paper company.
Recently, tax authorities have identified the practice of celebrities settling activity fees through one-person agencies they personally operate as a representative form of tax evasion. Singer and actor Cha Eun Woo was previously accused of evading taxes using this method and was imposed a surcharge of approximately ₩20.0 billion KRW (about $13.8 million USD). Since then, suspicions have surfaced across the industry that many entertainers operated one-person agencies in similar ways.
However, Park’s agency, Salt Entertainment, stated that Ebenezer was completely unrelated to any tax evasion allegations. The agency claimed it only became aware of the corporation’s existence after seeing a 2016 article reporting that Park had made a donation through Ebenezer, and that it instructed her to dissolve the company immediately afterward. It also asserted that no activity fees were ever settled through Ebenezer.
“We were completely unaware that Park served as CEO of Ebenezer until 2021. Naturally, no settlements to Park were made through that corporation.”
A 2020 business registration certificate for Ebenezer Entertainment, obtained by Chosun Biz, lists Park as the company’s representative.
Although Salt Entertainment explained that it instructed the company to be dissolved after learning of it in 2016, the corporation remained active until at least 2021. Park served as CEO of Ebenezer Entertainment until March 2021, and the 2020-issued business registration certificate also lists her as the representative.
There are also claims within the industry that Salt Entertainment settled activity fees to Ebenezer. An anonymous industry official stated, “It is certain that Salt made settlements to Park through her one-person agency.” If this is true, she may be suspected of evasion.
This is not the first time Salt Entertainment has faced controversy related to one-person agencies. Actor Kim Seon Ho was also embroiled in tax evasion controversy in January 2024 after it became known that he had established a one-person agency. Although Kim is currently under Fantagio like Cha Eun Woo, he was still contracted with Salt Entertainment at the time. Salt had previously stated that Kim requested settlements through his one-person agency and that the company processed them accordingly. An insider claimed that this was suspicious.
“It’s somewhat difficult to understand how a company that was aware of Kim Seon Ho’s one-person agency, which operated for just about a year, could claim not to know about Park Shin Hye’s case, which lasted for a much longer period.”
Ebenezer is reportedly currently supporting the entertainment activities of Park’s older brother, Park Shin Won. However, it was also confirmed that the company registered late as a Popular Culture and Arts Planning Business, a registration required under law for companies engaged in celebrity management and related activities. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had previously operated a nationwide registration guidance period at the end of last year to encourage unregistered corporations to register.
Nevertheless, Ebenezer only completed registration on January 19 of this year, around four years after Park was taken down from the company’s register, and well after the Cha Eun Woo tax controversy had surfaced. It is unknown if investigations will be undertaken for Park Shin Hye.