Cha Eun-woo baptized as Catholic during military service

Cha Eun-woo / Xportsnews

Actor and singer Cha Eun-woo has officially become a Catholic after being baptized during his mandatory military service, his agency confirmed Wednesday.

A representative from Fantagio said Cha received the Catholic sacrament in June, confirming earlier local media reports.

According to the reports by News1, the ASTRO member was baptized during a religious ceremony held on his military base as part of faith activities available to service members.

Cha enlisted as an active-duty soldier in the Korean Army in July last year and is currently serving in the Army military band. He is scheduled to be discharged in January 2027.

The actor has remained in the spotlight even while serving in the military. Earlier this year, he faced controversy over a tax payment dispute. Initial reports claimed authorities had imposed an income tax reassessment of about 20 billion won ($14.7 million), but later reports said he ultimately paid approximately 13 billion won in additional taxes.

Cha apologized over the controversy at the time.

"I sincerely apologize to my fans and everyone else for the disappointment and confusion caused by the tax controversy involving me," he said. "If there were areas I failed to examine carefully enough, I take full responsibility for them."

Before beginning his military service, Cha built a successful acting career alongside his activities as a member of K-pop group ASTRO. His most recent project, Netflix's "The Wonder Fools," was released in May.

This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.