Lee Ha Nee is drawing attention after a television investigation reported that a restaurant is registered as a branch of her one-person agency.
The issue was highlighted on the March 8th broadcast of MBC’s investigative program Exploration Planning Straight, which examined how celebrities such as Cha Eun Woo, Lee Ha Nee, Hwang Jung Eum and Lee Byung Hun operate one-person management companies.
According to the report, a well-known beef soup restaurant located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District in Seoul is registered as a branch office of Lee Ha Nee’s company, Hanee Co., Ltd. “At first glance, it looks like any ordinary restaurant,” the program said. “However, it is listed as a branch of the company established by actress Lee Ha Nee.”
The report added that the corporation has since changed its name to Hope Project, with Lee Ha Nee’s U.S.-national husband serving as CEO and Lee Ha Nee listed as an internal director. The building housing the restaurant was reportedly purchased by the company in November 2017 for about 6.45 billion KRW (approx. 4.3 million USD) with an approximate loan of roughly 3.5 billion KRW.
Lee Ha Nee and Hope Project were also reportedly subject to a non-regular tax audit by the Seoul Regional Tax Office in September last year, resulting in an additional tax assessment reportedly totaling about 6 billion KRW.
The report raised questions about whether the one-person agency structure may have been used to reduce taxes while investing in real estate for potential profit.
In response, Lee Ha Nee’s former agency TEAMHOPE told the program that the building was intended to be used as the company’s headquarters and as a complex cultural and arts space. However, the agency explained that delays in the ownership transfer process meant the existing tenant’s lease remained in place.
Straight countered that property records show the ownership transfer was completed in 2020, questioning why the restaurant tenant has remained in the building.
Attorney and accountant Kim Myung Gyu commented during the broadcast that the property could be viewed as a form of asset accumulation. “It could also be an investment aimed at future development benefits or rising land values,” he said.
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