Kim Seon-ho began his acting career in 2009 with the stage play New Boeing Boeing and made his television debut in 2017 through the drama Good Manager. His popularity steadily rose after Start-Up aired in 2020, where he earned the nickname “second-lead syndrome generator.”
In 2021, Kim Seon-ho finally ascended to leading-man status with Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, marking a career high and establishing himself as the next “romantic comedy king.” However, just as his popularity peaked, it collapsed overnight. Shortly after the drama ended, a personal life scandal erupted, with allegations that he pressured his ex-girlfriend into having an abortion under the pretense of marriage. His carefully built rom-com image crumbled instantly. At the time, Kim Seon-ho bowed his head in apology, saying, “I met her with sincere feelings, but my careless and thoughtless actions hurt her.”
As a result, he withdrew from the films Dog Days and Pretty Crazy, both of which were later released with different actors.
After a period of self-reflection, Kim Seon-ho returned in 2022 through the play Touching the Void. During the press call, he tearfully shared his gratitude, acknowledging how difficult it had been to earn a second chance.
He then gradually rebuilt public trust with the film The Childe (2023), Disney+ original series The Tyrant (2024), and last year’s Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines. Most recently, he appeared in Netflix’s Can This Love Be Translated?, where his chemistry with Go Youn-jung was praised, signaling what many called a “second prime” in his career—nearly five years after his fall.
Yet before he could fully enjoy this resurgence, Kim Seon-ho once again found himself at the center of controversy, this time over allegations of tax evasion.
Kim is accused of establishing a performance-planning company registered at his home address in Yongsan, Seoul, appointing himself as CEO and listing his parents as internal director and auditor—raising suspicions of a paper company. Allegations include income diversion, parents receiving monthly salaries ranging from millions to tens of millions of won through the corporate account, and the use of corporate credit cards for personal living and entertainment expenses, potentially constituting breach of trust and embezzlement. His agency Fantagio firmly denied the tax evasion claims on February 2, but vague explanations have only fueled further controversy.
On February 3, it was additionally confirmed that Kim Seon-ho had received settlement payments through this family-run corporation while failing to register as a cultural and entertainment management business, a mandatory requirement. Fantagio acknowledged, “It is true that after establishing the corporation in January 2024, Kim Seon-ho temporarily received settlements from his former agency through it.”
As a result, the “Kim Seon-ho risk” is once again casting a shadow over the entertainment industry. In the advertising world, signs of distancing have already begun. One fashion brand quietly removed teaser images promoting its collaboration with Kim from its official social media accounts.
His upcoming projects have also been affected, even if no official withdrawals have been announced. With public trust in the actor once again shaken, the negative fallout inevitably impacts the productions he is attached to. Kim Seon-ho is scheduled to appear in the play Secret Passage: Interval, opening on February 13, as well as Disney+’s Portraits of Delusion, TVING’s Unfriend, and tvN’s May the Congressman Protect Us later this year.
Just as he reclaimed the spotlight, Kim Seon-ho now faces another critical crossroads—one that threatens to once again derail the prime of his career.
Sources: Daum
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