Overview
- Cha Eun-woo’s agency confirmed he received Catholic baptism on base in June while serving as a corporal in the Ministry of National Defense’s military band.
- Multiple outlets reported his baptismal name as “John the Apostle,” but that specific detail has more limited sourcing than the fact of the baptism itself.
- Cha enlisted for active duty last July and is scheduled for discharge in January 2027, and military officials have previously affirmed the legitimacy of his unit assignment.
- Earlier this year the National Tax Service assessed large additional taxes tied to a one-person agency, and Cha publicly apologised and paid about 13 billion won to settle the penalty in April.
- Media and public commentary link the baptism to seeking personal solace or to image repair after the tax case, but no official source has connected the religious step to the earlier controversy.