Chinese Influencer Fined 4 Billion KRW After Attempting to Evade 1.9 Billion KRW in Taxes

Baibing, a Chinese influencer with 40 million subscribers,
fined millions for unpaid taxes and penalties

A Chinese mukbang influencer with 40 million subscribers has been hit with a hefty fine after attempting to evade taxes.

On May 7 (local time), the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Baibing (32), an influencer from China, paid a fine of 18.91 million yuan (approximately 4 billion KRW), including unpaid taxes, late fees, and penalties, to the State Taxation Administration. Baibing, who boasts around 40 million subscribers, is well-known for her mukbang content, which brought her public recognition.

Baibing, a famous Chinese mukbang influencer (32). Screenshot from Baidu

According to an investigation by the tax authorities, Baibing failed to pay 9.11 million yuan (about 2 billion KRW) in taxes, including personal income tax and value-added tax, over the past three years since 2021. The imposed amount includes the evaded tax in addition to punitive fines.

Baibing led a luxurious lifestyle with income earned from her social networking service (SNS) activities and frequently flaunted this online. However, she reportedly engaged in dual behavior by minimizing her income declarations, which eventually drew the attention of the authorities.

According to the media, Baibing established a shell company with no employees to disguise her personal income as business revenue. She also avoided taxes by claiming personal luxury purchases as company operating expenses.

Tax authorities announced the results of this investigation and issued a warning that they would strictly punish tax evasion by high-earning influencers. In a statement, Baibing admitted to her mistake, saying, "I acknowledge my failure to fulfill my social responsibilities as a public figure," and it was reported that she has paid the entire fine imposed.

Meanwhile, authorities in China continue to crack down harshly on celebrity tax evasion. In 2018, actress Fan Bingbing was fined 880 million yuan (about 180 billion KRW) for tax evasion. In 2021, Wei Ya, a famous show host known as the "Queen of Live Commerce," was fined 1.34 billion yuan (about 280 billion KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.