SEOUL – South Korean actress Han Hyo-joo, who was once an ambassador for the country’s tax authority, has been ordered to pay 70 million won (S$74,000) in unpaid taxes.

However, her management agency has refuted reports of tax evasion and attributed the under-reporting of taxes to “accounting errors”.

According to entertainment portal Allkpop, the National Tax Service had conducted an audit on the 36-year-old star of the movie Cold Eyes (2013) and K-drama Dong Yi (2010).

Her agency, BH Entertainment, released a statement on Tuesday, saying: “Han Hyo-joo underwent a regular tax audit and not a special tax audit. There were no substantial issues, omissions or any aspects raising suspicions of tax evasion.”

It added that “in the process of investigation, a difference in the interpretation of what is subject to taxation resulted in accounting errors”.

This meant Han had to pay additional taxes.

The agency pointed out that she had served as the ambassador for the National Tax Service in 2011 and received a commendation from then president Park Geun-hye in 2014 for being an exemplary taxpayer.

In recent months, high-profile South Korean stars such as actors Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-hee and Kwon Sang-woo have been audited by the authorities and ordered to pay additional taxes.