Tax Firm CENTRIC Officially Launched Through the Industry’s First Merger On October 21, Ihyeon Tax Corporation and Daeruk Aju Tax Corporation officially launched Tax Firm CENTRIC, marking the first-ever merger in the Korean tax firm industry. This unprecedented merger was jointly led by Han Seung-hee, former Commissioner of the National Tax Service (22nd), and Ahn Man-sik, CEO and a former NTS official who has achieved remarkable results in the specialized tax service sector. The new firm brings together experts from various fields, including specialists with experience in the NTS Investigation Bureau and former professors from the National Tax Officials Training Institute, signifying a historic milestone for the industry. CENTRIC derives its name from its core philosophy—collaborative expertise among specialists—and embodies the firm’s commitment to delivering the highest quality of service in the professional tax market. The company’s brand slogan, “The Center of Tax and Economy”, is represented by the acronym CENTRIC (Collaborative Expertise Network of Tax Representatives for Integrated Competitiveness). Building on the competitive edge of its former NTS professionals, Tax Firm CENTRIC aims to establish a dominant position in the specialized tax market, particularly in tax audit representation. The firm will also strengthen its competitiveness in complex areas requiring advanced legal and accounting expertise, providing clients with customized, one-stop solutions from the initial stage of tax disputes through to final litigation. CENTRIC will launch dedicated divisions for Tax Audit Representation, Tax Appeals, Inheritance and Gift Tax, Corporate Succession, International Taxation, and Capital Taxation. It will also expand into international taxation services such as transfer pricing and mutual agreement procedures—areas traditionally handled by large law or accounting firms—and offer specialized forensic services. In addition, CENTRIC plans to become the first tax firm to operate Korean Desks in key business hubs such as Vietnam, in collaboration with local accounting firms. At the core of CENTRIC’s values lies synergy through expert collaboration, embodied by its Tax Cooperation Belt, a network of over 100 professional tax specialists from diverse fields. The Tax Cooperation Belt allows experienced tax professionals—who possess exceptional expertise but previously faced limitations working independently—to collaborate with CENTRIC’s tax, legal, and accounting experts. Together, they jointly address complex tax cases such as audits, appeals, mergers and acquisitions, inheritance, and corporate succession. CENTRIC also plans to enhance support for participating tax professionals by providing access to tax computation programs, stock valuation tools, standardized templates, and AI-based document drafting systems, fostering seamless cooperation and leadership in the professional tax market. CEO Han Seung-hee stated, “We made the bold decision to pursue this merger in order to build a ‘market-leading tax firm’ that is principled, confident, and equipped with exceptional problem-solving capabilities—paving the way for our successors from the National Tax Service to thrive as leaders in the private tax sector.” CEO Ahn Man-sik added, “Our goal is to position tax professionals at the forefront of the tax market while establishing an integrated service system that combines expertise across tax, accounting, law, and private equity to support corporate succession, governance restructuring, and M&A projects.”