The operator of Hanam Pig House is reportedly undergoing a tax audit by the National Tax Service.

Hanam F&B, the operator of the pork belly restaurant franchise 'Hanam Pig House,' is reportedly undergoing an unscheduled tax audit by the National Tax Service. Amid allegations regarding the operation of franchise stores under employees' names and the private use of expensive vehicles registered under the company's name, the final facts are expected to be determined based on the results of the investigation.

According to an exclusive report by Seoul Economic Daily on October 2, the Central Regional Tax Office is conducting an unscheduled tax audit of Hanam F&B. However, the National Tax Service did not disclose the real names of the individual companies under investigation in its official press release.

National Tax Service Launches Investigation into 41 Companies Regarding Cost of Living

On September 14, the National Tax Service released a press release titled “Tax Investigation into Suspects of Tax Evasion Inciting Price Instability Related to Essential Living Expenses for the People (Food, Clothing, and Shelter),” announcing that it had launched tax investigations into a total of 41 companies.

The targets of the investigation are 23 agricultural and livestock product distributors, 16 processed food, restaurant franchise, and delivery platform companies, and 2 fashion platform companies. The total amount of suspected tax evasion by all companies under investigation, as disclosed by the National Tax Service, is approximately 1 trillion won, which does not refer to the suspected amount of any single company.

Allegations of shell merchants and overstating cost of goods sold

The National Tax Service cited a "famous restaurant franchise headquarters that omitted rebate revenue and dispersed income by operating franchisees under fictitious names" as one of the key cases initiated in the press release. In the announcement, the company in question is anonymized as "DD Co., Ltd."

According to the National Tax Service, in this case, the owner is under investigation for allegedly operating a franchise under an employee's name to evade income tax and underreporting income by calculating the cost of goods sold of the franchise higher than the average of other franchises.

In addition, suspicions have been raised that revenue from supervision fees and referral commissions received from interior design partners was omitted from the report.

Investigation into high-end vehicles and the owner family's financial flow

The same National Tax Service investigation case also includes allegations that the owner used an expensive supercar acquired in the name of the corporation for personal purposes and paid a salary to a spouse who did not actually work. Whether gift tax was reported regarding the spouse's asset acquisition was also presented as a matter for investigation.

The National Tax Service announced that it would verify whether the company omitted sales and whether corporate funds were siphoned off by the owner's family, and would also investigate acts of lending names related to fictitious merchants.

Company name revealed via Seoul Economic Daily report… Company to provide clarification

Although real names are not listed in the National Tax Service records, the Seoul Economic Daily reported through its coverage that Hanam F&B, the operator of Hanam Pig House, is under investigation. Therefore, the connection between the National Tax Service's anonymous investigation cases and a specific company is based on the Seoul Economic Daily's report.

According to the Seoul Economic Daily, Hanam F&B's sales revenue in 2025 is 13.609 billion won, and as of the end of 2024, the number of franchise stores nationwide is 150.

Hanam F&B told the Seoul Economic Daily that while it is difficult to disclose specific details as a tax investigation is currently underway, they are faithfully cooperating with the investigation and providing necessary explanations in accordance with relevant procedures.

The allegations currently raised are suspicions at the investigation stage, and the actual existence or scale of tax evasion has not yet been confirmed. The facts are expected to be verified through future investigations and related procedures by the National Tax Service.