Seoul City Conducts Second Public Auction of 28 Seized Vehicles from High-Value Tax Delinquents... 655 Delinquent Cases

2016 Benz 15 Million KRW, 2021 Ray 12 Million KRW, etc... 1.864 Billion KRW in Arrears

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 21st that it will auction 28 seized vehicles, including those towed during the joint city-district crackdown in June, to eradicate habitual tax delinquents and illegal vehicles (known as "daepocha").

According to Seoul City, the vehicles up for auction include various types such as 2021 model passenger cars, imported cars, and leisure vehicles. The estimated sale prices are 12 million KRW for a 2021 Ray vehicle, 15 million KRW for a 2016 Mercedes-Benz, and 500,000 KRW for a 2008 SM3. There are 28 delinquent owners of these vehicles, with a total of 655 outstanding tax cases including automobile taxes, amounting to 1.864 billion KRW in unpaid taxes.

The automobile auction will be conducted online through the AutoMart website. The auction announcement period started on the 19th and the vehicles are open to the public via the AutoMart website. The bidding period is from November 23 to 29.

Seoul City and its 25 autonomous districts conduct auctions of seized vehicles regularly every year. From 2018 to 2020, they sold 2,401 vehicles and collected 2.281 billion KRW in delinquent taxes. Up to the end of August this year, a total of 292 vehicles were sold, collecting 294 million KRW.

Lee Byung-wook, head of the 38th Tax Collection Division of Seoul City, stated, "Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Seoul City has been postponing license plate confiscation, towing, and auctions for vehicles owned by livelihood-type delinquents such as small business owners and self-employed individuals facing economic difficulties. However, for unscrupulous delinquents who have sufficient ability to pay taxes but evade payment, we will continue to enforce vehicle delivery orders, forced towing, and auctions strongly, relentlessly tracking down their hidden assets to ensure tax justice is realized."