Jeju Island, 12 High-Amount and Habitual Tax Delinquents Subject to 'House Searches and Movable Property Seizure'

29 Items Seized Including Cash, Luxury Bags, and Jewelry
"Utilizing Legally Permissible Means to Achieve Tax Justice"

Tax officials affiliated with Jeju Province are conducting home searches of high-amount and habitual tax delinquents. Photo by Jeju Province

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced on the 10th that it conducted three home searches from the 21st of last month to the 5th of this month targeting 12 high-amount and habitual local tax delinquents who owe more than 8 million KRW.

Jeju Province focused its investigation on delinquents who have the ability to pay but have long overdue local taxes or who transferred assets to their spouse's name or others to evade seizure or other delinquency measures.

Among the high-amount and habitual delinquents, the 12 selected through a field survey on family asset status and housing conditions were confirmed to have overdue local taxes totaling 387 million KRW.

One actual delinquent, Mr. A, had overdue local taxes of 11 million KRW despite dozens of payment demands. However, after confirming immigration records suspected of leisure travel abroad and conducting a home search of the spouse-owned residence, he paid the entire delinquent amount. Seven tax officials were involved in this home search, seizing 18 million KRW in cash and foreign currency, 29 items including luxury bags, precious metals, and premium liquor.

The seized cash was immediately applied to the delinquent amount, and 10 luxury bags, 18 pieces of precious metals such as rings, and one bottle of premium liquor will be appraised and sold publicly to cover the delinquent amount.

In addition to home searches and seizure of movable property, the province is implementing strong administrative sanctions against high-amount and habitual delinquents, including public disclosure of names, travel bans, and registration of information in public records.

Choi Myung-dong, Director of Planning and Coordination Office of Jeju Province, said, “We will relentlessly pursue delinquents who hide assets despite having the ability to pay and realize tax justice by using all legal means to collect delinquent amounts.”