Gen.G eSports long-distance dealer ‘Ruler’ Park Jae-hyuk was embroiled in controversy over tax evasion. Park Jae-hyuk’s suspected tax evasion became known when National Tax Service data was released three years ago.
The origin of the incident is as follows. According to the National Tax Law Information System in July 2024, Jae-Hyuk Park filed a request for judgment regarding the labor expenses paid to his father, who acted as a manager, and the tax treatment he received due to the stock title trust issue, but it was dismissed.
The Tax Tribunal said, “As a professional gamer, through an exclusive contract with a game team, all activities as a professional gamer are exclusively managed by the game team and the related expenses are borne by the game team, so there is no reason to have a separate manager and incur expenses. Even if a manager is necessary, no evidence has been submitted to prove that the claimant’s father received the labor costs at issue and performed the role of manager, so this cannot be recognized as a necessary expense.”
Jaehyuk Park has won numerous competitions from 2016 to present. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, he won a gold medal as a member of the Korean national team and was even exempted from military service. He also won the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and the League of Legends World Championship (Worlds Cup). Jaehyuk Park is receiving the highest salary in the league based on his excellent skills and grades. There are bound to be many fans who want to support and follow him.
However, due to this incident, Park Jae-hyuk’s image was greatly damaged. Jaehyuk Park made no mention of the issue even after conducting a personal broadcast right after the tax evasion controversy arose. Jaehyuk Park posted a post on his SNS late on the 1st and explained, “There was no fact of intentionally hiding or concealing income,” and “There was a problem in the process of managing the assets,” but public opinion was cold. Despite the National Tax Service’s warning for three years, it is known that he ignored it, and it is difficult to accept his explanation that it was “unintentional” at face value.
Jaehyuk Park’s team’s Gen.G is quiet. Even though a player on the team caused a stir, there was no announcement of any kind, let alone an apology. Does this mean that it is a problem that players and agents should resolve on their own? After the controversy broke out, Gen.G only widely announced the signing of an official partnership with Ottogi.
Rather, LCK started to move first. The LCK Secretariat announced that it is aware of the Park Jae-hyuk tax evasion controversy and is conducting an internal review and investigation, and that it plans to form an investigation committee including external experts to more closely confirm the facts of the related issue.
There is a saying, ‘Skill over personality.’ This is a self-deprecatory term used to refer to players who continue to play without any sanctions even after causing an accident or being embroiled in gossip in various sports, including e-sports. ‘Ruler’ Park Jae-hyuk, who is passing the golden time without a sincere apology amidst the tax evasion controversy, is reminding us of that phrase again.
Reporter Kim Yong-woo (kenzi@dailyesports.com)