Tax Division develops KakaoTalk acquisition tax chatbot, letting filers check exemptions before submitting returns
District ranks No. 1 among autonomous districts — zero budget, 80% less time spent on complaints
Gwangjin-gu announced that its Tax Division's "Real Estate Acquisition Tax Guidance Chatbot via KakaoTalk" project has been named the top case in the autonomous district category of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's "2026 Second-Half Proactive Administration Best Practices" competition.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government evaluates entries twice a year — in the first and second halves — assessing regulatory improvements, creative administration and tangible benefits to residents.
In this second-half competition, 30 cases were selected across three categories: Seoul city offices and agencies, autonomous districts, and public institutions. Results from an online public vote were also factored into the evaluation.
Gwangjin-gu's chatbot, which topped the autonomous district category, was developed to reduce repetitive complaints stemming from complex tax laws and exemption requirements, and to help taxpayers avoid penalty surcharges caused by filing errors.
The project drew particular praise for being built entirely in-house — a single civil servant coded the KakaoTalk-based chatbot using AI technology, with no outside contractors or additional budget.
The chatbot features a nine-question self-diagnosis service built on an analysis of common complaints and relevant statutes. Taxpayers can answer a short series of questions on KakaoTalk to check whether they qualify for an acquisition tax reduction before filing their returns.
Since the service launched, average complaint-handling time has dropped from about 10 minutes per case to two minutes — a reduction of roughly 80 percent. The chatbot eased the burden of fielding repetitive inquiries while delivering information taxpayers need more quickly, boosting both administrative efficiency and resident convenience.
Because the district built the service using existing staff and technology rather than commissioning outside development, it also kept budget costs to a minimum.
In the local public institution category, the Gwangjin-gu Facilities Management Corporation's "Mobile Library Outreach" project received an encouragement award.
The initiative converted an aging government vehicle into a mobile library that travels directly to residents. It was recognized as a proactive administration case for repurposing existing resources to cut costs while bringing reading opportunities to residents who have difficulty accessing a conventional library.
"The hard work of employees who actively came up with ideas on the ground and put them into practice to ease residents' inconveniences has paid off," District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said. "We will continue to expand proactive and creative administration that residents can feel and relate to."
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