Seoul City to Launch Special Crackdown on 'Habitual Tax-Delinquent Vehicles' in June... Delinquent Amount Reaches 240.6 Billion Won

221,065 Delinquents, 336,000 Vehicles... 101,779 Habitual Delinquents with 4+ Offenses, Delinquent Amount 218.1 Billion KRW
Joint Crackdown by City and 25 Districts... Seizure of Delinquent Vehicle License Plates, Towing, Auction Promotion
Focused Crackdown on 'Daepocha' of Deceased or Closed Corporations... Delivery Orders and Fines Imposed if Unpaid

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 9th that it will designate a special period for the seizure, towing, and auction of license plates of vehicles with habitual unpaid automobile taxes in June, and conduct a joint crackdown on delinquent vehicles together with 25 autonomous districts.

According to Seoul City, as of the end of May, the outstanding automobile tax arrears in Seoul amounted to 240.6 billion KRW, accounting for 8.8% of the total city tax arrears of 2.7426 trillion KRW. The number of vehicles with unpaid automobile taxes reached 336,000, representing 10.6% of the total 3.159 million registered vehicles in Seoul.

In particular, vehicles that have habitually failed to pay automobile taxes four or more times number 208,000, with the overdue automobile taxes from these habitual defaulters totaling 218.1 billion KRW, accounting for 90.6% of the total automobile tax arrears.

Seoul City plans to issue delivery orders specifying the delivery deadline and location for delinquent vehicles if owners who have habitually failed to pay automobile taxes four or more times do not pay by the 18th. If they fail to comply, fines totaling 10 million KRW will be imposed: 2 million KRW for the first offense, 3 million KRW for the second, and 5 million KRW for the third.

A Seoul city official explained, "If the vehicle delivery orders and fines are notified up to three times but not complied with, the case will be converted into a tax crime violation, and penalties and prosecution will be pursued."

Additionally, Seoul City will focus on cracking down on so-called 'Daepocha'?vehicles registered under deceased owners or closed corporations but actually operated by third parties. Seoul City believes that enforcement against vehicles registered under deceased owners has been suspended for some time, leading to an increase in illegal vehicle operation under deceased owners' names, and has decided to actively crack down for tax collection and public safety reasons.

Among vehicles subject to automobile tax, as of May, there are about 19,000 vehicles whose owners have died but ownership has not been transferred. Of these, 7,331 vehicles (6,154 owners) are delinquent with 68,573 cases, and the outstanding amount reaches 10.1 billion KRW.

During this special crackdown period, if Daepocha vehicles are detected, they will be immediately seized and towed regardless of the number of delinquencies, and the operator's identification will be checked to investigate the circumstances of vehicle acquisition. Seoul City has sent seizure warning notices to 41,277 delinquent owners (45,728 delinquent vehicles, 17.878 billion KRW in arrears), excluding deceased persons, encouraging voluntary payment. If the delinquent taxpayers who receive the notice do not pay the overdue automobile tax by the 18th, a vehicle delivery order will be issued according to local tax laws, and failure to comply may result in a fine of up to 5 million KRW.

Meanwhile, Seoul City plans to temporarily lift seizures on-site for self-employed and small business owners who are struggling to make a living due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic by accepting applications for temporary release of seizures and managing them afterward, or if the vehicle owner is not present at the site, the license plate will be seized first and then temporarily released after consultation.

Lee Byung-han, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Finance Bureau, said, "This special crackdown on habitual delinquent vehicles aims to fully resume collection activities that had been subdued due to COVID-19 and other factors, eliminate tax blind spots, and ensure a safe Seoul for citizens," adding, "We expect mature and voluntary tax payment awareness from Seoul citizens so that only vehicles without tax arrears operate in Seoul."

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