Singer Kim Wan-sun referred to prosecutors on suspicion of running unregistered agency
Published: 12 Mar. 2026, 16:28
Updated: 12 Mar. 2026, 17:26
![Singer Kim Wan-sun poses for a photo at the 2019 SBS Entertainment Awards at Mapo District, western Seoul, on Dec. 28, 2019. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/12/e419e3d5-1d4d-47f2-919a-565b657582b7.jpg)
Singer Kim Wan-sun poses for a photo at the 2019 SBS Entertainment Awards at Mapo District, western Seoul, on Dec. 28, 2019. [NEWS1]
Singer Kim Wan-sun has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of running an unregistered entertainment agency, police said on Thursday.
Police suspect that Kim established the independent agency KWSunflower in 2020 and operated it without registering the business with the relevant government authorities.
The Yongin Dongbu Police Precinct in Gyeonggi sent Kim and her agency’s corporate entity to prosecutors earlier this month on charges of violating the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act.
Under the law, anyone who intends to run a talent agency or popular culture and arts management business must register with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Violators face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won ($13,500).
A representative for Kim told media outlet OSEN that KWSunflower “completed the agency registration during the grace period for compliance.”
According to OSEN, Kim completed the registration process in November of last year.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ran a grace period through Dec. 31 for talent agencies to complete mandatory registration and urged companies to comply voluntarily.
“We do not expect there to be an issue,” the representative added.
The case began after a private citizen filed a complaint alleging that Kim's agency violated the law by failing to meet the registration requirement.
“We determined after an investigation that the allegations were substantiated and sent the case to prosecutors earlier this month,” a police official said.
Kim's referral comes amid increased scrutiny of independent agencies, which the National Tax Service says some celebrities have used to evade taxes.
Recent high-profile cases include actor and singer Cha Eun-woo, who said he would cooperate with tax authorities after being accused of failing to pay 20 billion won ($13.5 million).
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE, KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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