One Hundred Label chairman Cha Ga Won, who has been widely regarded as a wealthy executive within the entertainment industry, is facing escalating financial difficulties after failing to settle billions of KRW in luxury shopping expenses, resulting in additional provisional seizures placed on her privately owned villa.
According to a February 20 report by The Fact, the Seoul Western District Court ruled on February 9 to provisionally seize Cha Ga Won’s share of four units in the La Nouvo Phase 1 villa complex located in Hannam dong, Seoul, which she jointly owns with her husband, with Hanwha Galleria Co., Ltd. listed as the creditor and the claim amounting to 3,598,716,769 KRW (approximately 2.48 million USD).
Hanwha Galleria operates the luxury Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong, Seoul, and industry sources indicate that Cha, reportedly a VIP client, purchased multiple high end goods on credit but failed to complete payment, repeatedly postponing settlement until the creditor pursued legal measures leading to the court ordered provisional seizure.
On February 11, the Seoul Western District Court issued an additional provisional seizure on the same property, this time requested by an individual creditor with a claim totaling 2 billion KRW (approximately 1.38 million USD).
The La Nouvo property is already subject to multiple seizures and provisional attachments, as the four Phase 1 units had previously been seized by the National Tax Service due to tax delinquencies, while two Phase 2 units owned by a corporation in which Cha serves as an in house director have also been seized.
In addition, the four Phase 1 units are under provisional seizure following a fraud complaint filed by an entertainment technology company referred to as Company A under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, alleging that Cha received advance payments before failing to fulfill contractual obligations, with the court approving the company’s application for asset preservation.
With the most recent rulings, the total claimed amount tied to the four Phase 1 units has reached approximately 15.6 billion KRW (about 10.77 million USD), excluding separate seizures initiated by tax authorities, and substantial mortgage rights amounting to tens of billions of won have already been established on both Phase 1 and Phase 2 units owned by Cha.
Two of the Phase 1 units are currently leased under jeonse contracts to singer Lee Seung Gi and EXO member Baekhyun, with deposits reportedly set at 10.5 billion KRW (approximately 7.25 million USD), and 16 billion KRW (approximately 11.04 million USD), respectively, and both tenants are understood to have secured loans estimated at 7 billion KRW (about 4.83 million USD) and 10 billion KRW (about 6.90 million USD), raising concerns over potential financial exposure as the properties remain under provisional seizure.
Concerns extend beyond Cha’s personal holdings to the companies under her leadership, as One Hundred, Big Planet Made, and INB100 are reportedly experiencing capital impairment, while prior reports have referenced unpaid clothing expenses of 10.8 billion KRW (approximately 7.45 million USD), advance payments totaling 72 billion KRW (approximately 49.69 million USD), unsettled artist payments estimated at 5 billion KRW (approximately 3.45 million USD), and outstanding obligations to partner companies exceeding 10 billion KRW (approximately 6.90 million USD), alongside reported delays in employee insurance contributions and building rent payments.
As financial claims continue to accumulate and legal scrutiny intensifies, questions are increasing regarding Cha Ga Won’s financial standing and the operational stability of the companies under her direction.
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