The unpaid taxes and penalty pertain to the issuance of Wemix tokens from 2019 to 2022.
Shortly after launching a $100 million Web3 fund with Singapore-based Whampoa Group last month, South Korean gaming firm Wemade has disclosed that it owes the country's tax authorities 53.7 billion won ($41 million) in unpaid taxes in an unrelated incident. The amount is equal to approximately 10% of the company's equity.
According to a Jan. 3 filing with KOSDAQ, the unpaid taxes pertain to WEMIX tokens issued by its subsidiary Wemade Tree from January 2019 to 2022. "The 'imposed amount (KRW)' above is the sum of the amount stated in the tax audit result notice imposed on our company and Wemade Tree Co., Ltd," Wemade said while explaining that the tax debt "scheduled to be paid within the deadline according to legal procedures" by Feb. 29, 2024. Local news reports suggest that tax authorities imposed a penalty of up to 50 billion won ($38 million).
First issued in 2020, WEMIX tokens have returned 635% since inception and currently trade at $2.64 with a diluted market cap of $2.5 billion. It is an Ethereum Virtual Machine compatible protocol that powers Wemade's network of Web3 applications. In 2017, South Korea banned initial coin offerings but is currently considering reversing the ban and instead imposing a 20% tax on profits arising from crypto transactions.
