Born with 'Hundred-Million Asset'... 270 Billion Won Gifted to 0-Year-Old Over 5 Years

Average Gift Amount Approaching 100 Million Won

It has been found that the amount of property gifted to newborns aged 0 over the past five years (based on gift tax filings) has exceeded 270 billion KRW. In just last year, 636 newborns aged 0 received gifts amounting to 61.5 billion KRW.

According to data submitted by the National Tax Service to the office of Park Seong-hoon (People Power Party) of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee on the 6th, the value of gifts given to 0-year-olds was 41.7 billion KRW in 2019 and about 9.1 billion KRW in 2020. However, influenced by the rise in real estate prices in 2021, it surged to 80.6 billion KRW and continued to increase to 82.5 billion KRW in 2022. With the decline in real estate prices last year, the value of gifts to 0-year-olds also turned to a downward trend for the first time in three years.

From 2019 to 2023, a total of 2,829 newborns aged 0 filed gift tax returns, with a total gifted property value of 275.4 billion KRW. This means the average gifted property value per individual is approaching 100 million KRW. The average gifted property value per 0-year-old was 81.98 million KRW in 2020, 94.05 million KRW in 2021, 96.6 million KRW in 2022, and 96.7 million KRW in 2023, showing a steady upward trend.

Expanding the scope to minors under 18 years old, the average gifted property value has already exceeded 100 million KRW. In 2023, a total of 14,094 minors filed gift tax returns, receiving property valued at 1.5803 trillion KRW. The average gifted property value per minor was 112.13 million KRW.

Representative Park stated, "It is necessary to closely examine whether there have been any loopholes, illicit gifting, or tax evasion during the process of wealth inheritance," adding, "We must establish tax justice by thoroughly blocking tax evasion through active tax investigations and follow-up management."

Gift tax exemptions allow adult children to receive up to 50 million KRW and minor children up to 20 million KRW every 10 years without taxation. For example, if a child receives 20 million KRW as a gift at age 0 without gift tax, another 20 million KRW can be gifted tax-free starting from age 10. If assets such as stocks or real estate, expected to appreciate in value, are gifted to children early, the appreciation belongs to the children, resulting in tax savings.

Therefore, the number of 0-year-old dividend income earners born with a "stock silver spoon" from birth is rapidly increasing. The number of 0-year-old dividend income earners who received stocks immediately after birth was 7,425 in 2021, a 33-fold increase compared to 373 in 2018.