Joint wide-area collection drives with Dangjin, Boryeong and Cheongyang-gun targeting Greater Seoul delinquents to run through November
South Chungcheong Province is overhauling its local tax delinquency management, moving away from a paperwork- and systems-based approach toward direct, on-the-ground verification of delinquents' actual circumstances.
The provincial government announced Tuesday it would expand to a field-centered delinquency management system to rein in persistently rising local tax arrears, with a focus on strengthening collection from delinquents living outside the province.
Provincial local tax arrears grew by 25.8 billion won ($19.1 million) — from 147.6 billion won in 2022 to 173.4 billion won in 2025. In response, the province said it would directly verify the actual lifestyle, economic activity and financial circumstances of out-of-province delinquents and apply collection strategies tailored to each individual's situation.
Documents and systems alone have clear limits in determining where out-of-province delinquents actually live or how they earn a living. Officials plan to visit residences and workplaces in person to assess the causes of nonpayment, ability to pay and financial holdings — gauging collection prospects on the scene.
Wide-area collection drives targeting out-of-province delinquents will run from late September through November. This month, the province will conduct joint collection activities with Dangjin, Boryeong and Cheongyang-gun, focusing on delinquents in the Greater Seoul area. Subsequent operations will be run flexibly — either independently by individual cities and counties or through other arrangements — taking into account the scale of arrears, the number of targets, available personnel and field conditions in each jurisdiction.
Targets for the wide-area collection drives will be selected from out-of-province delinquents above a certain threshold, based on a comprehensive review of the amount owed, ability to pay, financial holdings and prior enforcement history.
In the field, officials will assess each delinquent's economic activity, financial situation and the reasons behind nonpayment, then encourage those with the means to pay to settle their bills voluntarily or in installments.
Where additional collectible assets are identified, enforcement action will be pursued under relevant laws. Delinquents who make payment commitments will be monitored to ensure they follow through, with ongoing post-collection management in place.
However, delinquents in financial hardship — such as those unable to pay due to subsistence-level circumstances — will be managed with their economic situation in mind, including potential referrals to relevant welfare departments.
Through these measures, the province aims to minimize long-term arrears and the carryover of unpaid taxes. For delinquents who have the means to pay but are evading their obligations, the province said it would pursue aggressive collection to ensure fairness toward compliant taxpayers.
"To address the rise in arrears, we will go a step further than existing delinquency management methods and strengthen our approach by directly verifying delinquents' circumstances in the field," said Park Cheol-min, head of the South Chungcheong Province tax administration division. "We will pursue active collection from those who are able to pay, while ensuring that those who need support receive management suited to their situation."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
