Gwangju City Helped Over 10,000 People Recover More Than 17.22 Million Square Meters of Land Last Year

Gwangju City Hall

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 26th that it is implementing the ‘Ancestor Land Search Service’ using the computerized land and forest register system for descendants who cannot identify ancestral land due to negligence in property management or sudden death from unforeseen accidents.

The service allows applicants to visit the nearest city hall or district office regardless of the location of the land or their residence, submit documents proving they are heirs or owners, and receive inquiry results immediately through the ‘National Land Information System’.

For those who died before January 1, 2008, a family register removal certificate (jejeokdeungbon) must be submitted, and for those who died after that date, a family relation certificate in the deceased’s name and a basic certificate indicating the date of death must be provided.

If the death occurred before January 1, 1960, only the eldest son or household successor can apply; for deaths after that date, only spouses or direct ascendants/descendants with inheritance rights can apply.

Additionally, to verify land owned by oneself, real-time inquiries can be made through the ‘Find My Land Service’ on the real estate information portal ‘SEE:REAL’, which requires a digital certificate.

So far, Gwangju City has helped 9,982 people find 18,146 parcels of land totaling 17,226,092㎡ through the ‘Ancestor Land Search Service’ last year.

In the first year of 1996, only 19 people applied and 60 parcels were provided, but the number has increased annually, with a total of 48,582 people receiving data on 99,913 parcels of land totaling 105,139,997㎡ over the past 10 years.

Gwangju City has made efforts to minimize citizen inconvenience by promoting the Ancestor Land Search Service through various media and visits to public facilities, as well as operating a parallel district land register inquiry service.

At the end of last year, in recognition of these efforts, the city was selected as an ‘Outstanding Local Government for Joint Use of Cadastral Computerized Data’ and received a commendation from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Lee Su-won, head of the city’s Land Information Division, said, “We will continue to promote the Ancestor Land Search Service to support and protect citizens’ property rights.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.