법인 사택 가장한 사주의 ‘황제 주택’…국세청, 대기업 5곳 포함 조사 착수

Sonotrini Group, a company involved in resort and hotel business, recently purchased a 200 billion won luxury residential property in Seoul's Yongsan district under the name of the company. The property belongs to Son's family. The family already owns a 300 billion won luxurious house nearby and has been using this luxurious house for personal purposes.

Sonotri Group is accused of paying around 150 billion won to the family of the chairman, which is 10 times the average salary of peers in the industry. They have also been accused of providing false wages to family members of the family and embezzling 50 billion won in personal expenses under the company's name. The tax department has started an investigation into 50 companies, including 5 large enterprises, for allegedly using company accounts to purchase high-end residential properties and other luxury items for personal use.

The total amount of suspected tax evasion from these companies is estimated to be around 1.9 trillion won. The tax department has identified 4 out of 2639 high-end company-owned residential properties that were either owned or used privately by the chairman's family. The properties range from residential units exceeding 85 sqm to commercial real estate with a market value exceeding 9 billion won.

The chairman recently acquired a new apartment in Seochondo, Seoul, which will make him a two-home owner. He transferred his existing 40 billion won property to his company for tax benefits, allowing him to continue living rent-free in the new property. The chairman has been accused of creating a taxable gain on the sale of the apartment, using company accounts to purchase expensive jewelry and luxury goods for the family, and processing the cost of purchasing high-end goods for the family as company expenses.

The tax department will scrutinize all available means to verify the financial activities of the companies under investigation and trace the origin of the embezzled company funds. If any evidence of tax evasion, tax fraud, or money laundering is discovered, the tax department will pursue criminal charges under the Tax Fraud Prevention Act.

Sonotri Group has agreed to cooperate with the tax investigation but maintains that the luxury property is not owned or used privately by the chairman's family.