Yoo Jae-suk dashes to bank mid-shoot to pay taxes: 'Paying on time is really important'

Broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk drew attention after rushing to a bank to pay his taxes in the middle of a filming session. Known as one of the entertainment industry's most exemplary taxpayers, Yoo pays 4.1 billion won in taxes on every 10 billion won he earns — a practice that preempts any suspicion of tax evasion.

The first episode of the web variety show Punghyangjung was released Saturday on the YouTube channel Tteundteun. The show features Yoo Jae-suk, Lee Sung-min, Ji Suk-jin and Yang Se-chan.

Before the group set off on a two-day, one-night domestic trip, Yoo asked his companions to make a stop at a bank.

Yoo said he needed to pay his taxes, explaining he had "no other time" because filming had been continuous. The shoot took place during the last week of June, when Yoo was due to pay his comprehensive income tax.

When Ji Suk-jin asked why he was paying taxes right then, Yoo said, "The deadline is June 30, but I couldn't do it because of filming."

Ji then grumbled, "Just do it later," to which Yoo replied, "There is no 'later.' You have to pay taxes on time."

The other cast members watched Yoo sprint toward the bank and marveled at the sight. "It's funny in itself that he's going to pay taxes," one said. "Isn't this the first time we've ever seen Yoo Jae-suk paying taxes on a show?"

Hearing that, Yoo called back, "Paying taxes is really important," and hurried inside.

Yoo is widely regarded as a model taxpayer in the entertainment industry. He made headlines in 2024 when an intensive tax audit found no irregularities, with investigators uncovering no evidence of deliberate income omission or tax evasion.

Despite undergoing that rigorous audit in 2024, Yoo emerged with a clean record. A tax accountant later revealed that Yoo files using the standard expense ratio method — an estimated-return approach that differs from the bookkeeping method most entertainers use — which effectively eliminates any room for tax-evasion controversy.

According to the tax accountant, when Yoo earns 10 billion won ($6.94 million) in a year, the standard expense ratio method raises his taxable income base to 9.12 billion won, resulting in a tax bill of 4.1 billion won — compared with the 2.7 billion won a typical entertainer would pay under the standard bookkeeping method.

yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com