[Edaily Reporter Hong Soo-hyeon ] National soccer team player Hwang Hee-chan (30) has been sued on charges of fraud. The plaintiff alleges that Hwang signed a promotional contract with a luxury car service provider and received 42 supercars and other benefits but failed to fulfill his promotional obligations.

On the 21st, the law firm Daehan Jungang TV examined the arguments of both sides in a YouTube broadcast. Bahana, a supercar subscription platform, claims that while it provided Hwang Hee-chan with a total of 42 vehicles over approximately 15 months, he never once fulfilled the contractual obligation to promote the service on social media (SNS). The company added that it incurred significant losses due to requests for specific high-end vehicles, frequent vehicle replacements, vehicle damage, and advertising production costs.

On the other hand, Hwang Hee-chan’s side has categorically denied the allegations and is countering by claiming that his image rights were used without permission after the contract ended. In the previous criminal complaint regarding obstruction of business, the police decided not to refer the case to the prosecution due to insufficient evidence; however, Bahana appealed this decision, leading to the case being referred to the prosecution. Nevertheless, since this new criminal complaint alleging fraud was filed separately from the previous case, the outcome cannot be predetermined based solely on the earlier decision not to refer the case.

Bahana CEO Kim, in a recent interview on the YouTube channel “Jirijiri,” stated, “We submitted a complaint against Hwang Hee-chan himself to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 8th, and an investigator has already been assigned to the case.”

Regarding why he had not filed a complaint against Hwang Hee-chan himself until now, CEO Kim explained, “The decision to file a complaint had been made some time ago, but the World Cup, the transfer window, and four consecutive international matches followed one after another,” adding, “I refrained from taking action during that period as a matter of basic courtesy toward a national soccer team player.”

In particular, he alleged that in May 2025, near the Yeongdong Bridge in Seoul, a Ferrari came to a stop and then left the scene, and that a company had taken full responsibility for handling the matter following the minor collision.

He further claimed that during the lawsuit against his uncle and company executives, it became clear that Hwang Hee-chan’s side had no intention of taking responsibility for breach of contract or vehicle damage, and that although he attempted to engage in dialogue before filing the complaint, his efforts were ignored.

According to CEO Kim’s account, while the initial contract signed in August 2024 specified five support vehicles, a total of 42 vehicles—including supercars and ceremonial cars—were actually provided over the course of 15 months. He stated that Hwang Hee-chan’s side repeatedly demanded vehicle upgrades, even specifying particular models such as the G-Class, Urus, Huracán, Aventador, Ferrari, and McLaren.

However, CEO Kim’s side claims that not a single instance of the promised social media promotion was carried out in return. He emphasized that the social media promotion clause was an essential condition of the contract, stating, “If the player does not promote the brand on his social media, the project itself is meaningless.” In particular, citing the fact that Hwang Hee-chan’s side requested the removal of the social media posting clause on July 31, 2024—three days before the main contract was signed—he alleged fraud, arguing that they likely had no intention of promoting the brand from the start.

As evidence, he pointed out that while Hwang Hee-chan posted photos of cosmetics, watches, and sportswear on social media and tagged the brand names with hashtags, he posted photos of vehicles provided by Bahana on social media without disclosing the company’s name.

They also cited lost advertising revenue. CEO Kim stated that although they had filmed an advertisement in July 2025 to be aired ahead of the World Cup, it was ultimately scrapped because the social media promotion never took place. He claimed that labor costs alone—including hair, makeup, and suit alterations—totaled 12 million won, and that the total production costs amounted to tens of millions of won.

Regarding why he did not disclose the company’s name, CEO Kim said, “Wasn’t it to hide the fact that the cars Hwang Hee-chan was driving were sponsored vehicles?” He added, “Hwang Hee-chan disliked rental cars and even sent a message requesting a specific vehicle, saying, ‘As long as it doesn’t have a “Heo, Ho, Ha” license plate [typically used on rental cars], it’s fine.’”

Regarding why he continued to provide vehicles even though Hwang Hee-chan’s side failed to fulfill the contract, he said, “There were sweet-talking promises like, ‘Let’s stick together until the World Cup. I’ll make you our number one promotional figure during the World Cup.’”

Regarding this lawsuit, CEO Kim stated, “Suing Hwang Hee-chan was something I could not have done unless I was prepared to give up all the VIPs in the sports world,” adding, “I want to restore the reputation of my company and my family, which has been ruined.”

Researcher Park Se-jeong analyzed, “If Hwang Hee-chan deceived Bana into providing the vehicle by pretending he intended to fulfill his promotional obligations—even though he had no such intention from the outset—this could constitute fraud. However, if he actually intended to promote the company at the time of the contract but was subsequently unable to do so due to unforeseen circumstances, it would merely constitute a civil breach of contract and would not be subject to criminal punishment.”

Hwang Hee-chan’s side has categorically denied the company’s claims, and the agency employees who were accused of fraud, joint intimidation, obstruction of business, defamation, and insult had their cases dismissed by the police last June.

Hwang Hee-jeong, Hwang Hee-chan’s older sister and CEO of his agency, BtheHC, stated, “It was a contract for a free exchange of the player’s image rights for protocol services, and after the contract ended in August 2025, we concluded our cooperation by mutual agreement in October of the same year.”

She added that the decision to end the partnership was based on “issues such as the contracting party’s concealment of its business closure, financial instability including unpaid wages and the CEO’s personal debts, unauthorized use of the player’s image rights (for used car sales and investment solicitation), and the company CEO’s criminal history.”

In particular, regarding allegations of “extorting free services and abusive behavior,” CEO Hwang Hee-jeong refuted the claims, stating, “Family protocol services were within the official scope of duties specified in the contract,” and added, “There was absolutely no abusive behavior, such as any other unreasonable demands.”

She also emphasized that the allegations regarding “demands for supercars” were untrue, asserting, “Accidents that occurred during operation were fully settled through insurance in accordance with the contract. The other company inflated the scale of the accident by including ‘damage-only incidents’ in their tally.”