National Tax Service Appoints Byeon Hye-jeong, Professor at Siheung University, as New Taxpayer Protection Officer

Following Former Kim Young-soon, Female Senior Official Appointed as Taxpayer Protection Officer

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The National Tax Service (NTS) announced on the 26th that it has appointed Professor Byun Hyejeong of the Graduate School of Taxation at the University of Seoul to the open position of NTS Taxpayer Protection Officer. With this appointment, the NTS has filled all its senior vacancies.

The NTS Taxpayer Protection Officer is a position responsible for safeguarding the rights of taxpayers to ensure that no taxpayer suffers unfair treatment during the execution of national tax administration, and for supporting small taxpayers who are struggling due to COVID-19. It was explained that the optimal candidate was selected through a rigorous screening process including document review, interviews, and competency evaluations among many private sector experts who applied through open recruitment.

The newly appointed Taxpayer Protection Officer, Byun Hyejeong, has been a professor of tax law at the Graduate School of Taxation at the University of Seoul for 11 years since 2010. She is evaluated to have comprehensive expertise and practical experience in the tax field through various activities such as serving as a non-standing judge at the Tax Tribunal, a member of the Local Tax Ordinance Review Committee at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, a member of the National Tax Ordinance Review Committee at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and a member of the Legal Interpretation Review Committee at the NTS. The NTS introduced her as an expert who has published numerous papers on ‘taxpayer rights protection’ and has strived to implement them.

The NTS stated, "Taxpayer Protection Officer Byun is a female senior official following her predecessor Kim Youngsoon, and she will greatly contribute to enhancing the credibility of national tax administration and improving the representation of female public officials within the organization." It added, "The NTS will continue to actively align with the government’s balanced personnel policies aimed at realizing social values such as diversity and equity."