"Abolish Real Estate Register Fees," KAR Chairman Proposes to Land Committee Secretary

Proposal to Abolish Fees Discussed with Land Committee Secretary...
"Access to Information is a Public Good"
Land and Building Registers are Free...
"Charging Only for Certified Copies is a Double Standard"
Fee Revenue Reaches 430 Billion Won Over 5 Years
Courts Maintain: "Fees Necessary as Service Targets Specific Users"

The movement to abolish the fees for viewing and issuing certified copies of real estate registers, which are essential information for real estate transactions, is resurfacing. While most types of official certificates are provided free of charge online, the fact that only certified copies of real estate registers require a fee is considered unfair. As related legislation remains stalled, the Korea Association of Realtors (KAR) has begun to actively advocate for policy changes to the National Assembly.

Unmanned civil service issuance machine at the Registry Office of Seoul Western District Court. Asia Economy DB.

According to KAR on July 4, Chairman Kim Jongho met with Bok Giwang, secretary of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee (Democratic Party of Korea), on June 30 and conveyed the necessity of making the viewing and issuance of certified copies of real estate registers free of charge. The association emphasized, "To reduce real estate damages caused by restricted access to information, everyone should be able to view these records without burden."

Currently, there is a fee of 700 won for online viewing and 1,000 won for online issuance of certified copies of real estate registers. At offline counters, the fee is 1,200 won. Due to increasing interest in real estate and concerns over rental fraud, the demand for checking real estate registers continues to rise. According to the National Court Administration, the number of cases of viewing and issuing certified copies increased by 13.5% over four years, from 138.85 million in 2019 to 157.66 million in 2023.

Currently, legislation to make these fees free has not passed the National Assembly. In July last year, Kwon Chilseung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed an amendment to the Real Estate Registration Act to exempt internet-based viewing and issuance fees, but it remains pending with the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. At the time, Kwon stated, "It is unacceptable that all other official certificates are free, yet only certified copies of real estate registers require a fee." Previously, in the 21st National Assembly, lawmakers Cho Eungcheon and Cho Sujin also proposed similar bills, but these did not lead to legislation.

The courts, which operate the registry offices, maintain the position that "certified copies of real estate registers are mainly used by specific stakeholders such as realtors, so fees are charged according to the beneficiary-pays principle." However, this argument is less convincing considering that other public real estate records, such as land registers and building registers, are free of charge, and that usage by the general public has increased compared to the past. There is also controversy over excessive revenue. Over the past five years since 2019, total revenue from online viewing and issuance of certified copies has reached 433.1 billion won.

A KAR representative stated, "Not only realtors, who need to check dozens of certified copies of real estate registers daily, but also ordinary consumers are frequently reviewing register information due to increased risks such as rental fraud and 'Kkangtong Jeonse' (jeonse scams)," adding, "To create a fair real estate transaction environment, improvements are needed so that everyone can access certified copies of real estate registers free of charge."

Meanwhile, Chairman Kim also proposed institutional reforms such as specifying the right-to-key money contract in the Certified Realtors Act and converting the association into a statutory organization. Representative Bok stated, "I will continue to pay attention to and cooperate with the initiatives pursued by the association."