Seoul's Dobong-gu said it became the first district in the country to offer an email delivery service for land transaction permits, launching the program July 1.
Under the new system, applicants who consent to electronic delivery receive their permits via encrypted email, eliminating the need to visit the district office in person.
The service is expected to improve administrative convenience for residents by sparing them the trip to the office to collect their permits.
Budget savings are also anticipated. A total of 1,791 applications were filed in the first half of this year. Based on that volume, the district estimates the service could save roughly 50 million won ($32,200) in social costs that would otherwise be incurred by residents traveling to and waiting at the office.
Projected across the entire Seoul Metropolitan Government, the annual savings could reach 2.6 billion won. The cost estimate factored in the value of one hour of travel and waiting time — based on the average hourly wage for all workers as published by the Ministry of Employment and Labor — as well as transportation expenses.
The district has also petitioned higher authorities to amend relevant regulations, with the aim of expanding the service nationwide and establishing a legal basis for the electronic issuance of permits.
"This electronic issuance of land transaction permits is a model case of proactive administration — breaking with bureaucratic convention to maximize convenience for residents," Dobong-gu District Mayor Kim Dong-wook said. "We will continue to identify and pursue civil service improvements that residents can feel directly."
Beyond the new email service, the district has taken other steps to streamline land transaction permit processing. Since April, it has cut the statutory processing period from 15 days to five, enabling faster handling of applications.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, when permit applications tend to concentrate, the district also assigns an experienced team leader as a dedicated permit guidance officer to assist residents.
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