National Tax Service deploys 5,500-strong task force to tackle W130tr in unpaid taxes

The National Tax Service has launched a nationwide field investigation involving more than 5,500 personnel to tackle 130 trillion won ($85.2 billion) in outstanding national tax and non-tax arrears.

The NTS said Wednesday it has organized the National Tax and Non-Tax Revenue Delinquency Management Corps across 133 tax offices nationwide, formally activating a field-centered system for verifying the status of delinquent taxpayers.

The 5,500-member corps will operate for six months through Dec. 23, targeting about 1.34 million national tax delinquents and about 4.24 million non-tax revenue delinquents — those with unpaid fines and surcharges — covering the full 130 trillion won in outstanding arrears.

Corps members will contact delinquents by phone to inform them of their outstanding obligations and visit their registered addresses or places of business to assess their living conditions and circumstances.

The initiative goes beyond simple collection efforts: delinquents will be categorized by economic situation and managed with tailored approaches.

Those facing genuine financial hardship will be informed about provisions that can extinguish their national tax obligations and referred to welfare services. Those experiencing temporary cash shortfalls will be guided toward installment payment plans and other options to help them get back on their feet.

Delinquents who continue to evade payment after field checks will face strict enforcement, with dedicated civil servants conducting follow-up investigations.

Non-tax revenues — previously collected separately by individual government ministries — are being consolidated under the NTS this year. As a preliminary step, the corps will begin field checks with traffic and administrative fines handled by the Korean National Police Agency.

The field investigators — 2,500 for national tax cases and 3,000 for non-tax revenue cases — were selected through a competitive process that drew an average of 4.5 applicants per position. They underwent practical training from July 1 through Tuesday on how to interact with taxpayers and on confidentiality obligations.

NTS Commissioner Im Gwang-hyeon spoke as a lecturer at a training session held Friday at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, saying the corps delivers "five benefits in one — tax justice, fiscal security, job creation, delinquency resolution and welfare linkage." He added that he would "do everything possible to ensure field investigators can take pride in their work."

Im also delivered a video message at launch ceremonies held simultaneously at all 133 tax offices Wednesday, urging corps members to "take pride in your role and carry out your duties responsibly, as the results you build in the field will become the foundational data for future delinquency management." He also paid a personal visit to the North Daejeon Tax Office to encourage the corps there.

The NTS said it plans to use the corps to build a field-centered delinquency management system and lead "a transformative shift in delinquency management" as it evolves into an integrated fiscal revenue agency driving public finance reform. The agency added it would "contribute to raising household incomes through nationwide public-sector job creation and serve as a steadfast partner by connecting those in financial hardship with welfare programs."