Suncheon City Wins 'Excellence Award' at the 15th Korea Local Finance Awards

Outstanding Arrears Division Award, 200 Million KRW Financial Incentive from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik] Suncheon City in Jeollanam-do announced on the 22nd that it received the Grand Prize for Outstanding Performance in the Delinquency Collection category at the 「15th Korea Local Finance Awards」 held in Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi-do.

The Local Finance Awards is the most prestigious local finance award hosted annually by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety since 2008. It discovers and disseminates excellent cases in expenditure reduction, revenue increase, and other financial fields based on ideas obtained from the field of 243 local governments nationwide, aiming to enhance the efficiency and soundness of local finances.

After being selected as the representative of Jeollanam-do in September, the city was chosen for an excellent case in delinquent tax collection during the first round of document screening in the local tax category at this national competition, receiving a financial incentive of 40 million KRW from Jeollanam-do.

Selected as an outstanding innovative case, Suncheon City developed an advanced collection method to recover chronic delinquent amounts when face-to-face collection became difficult due to COVID-19. This included ▲ collecting local tax arrears through self-litigation (6 cases totaling 198 million KRW) ▲ expanding the application of fraudulent conveyance cancellation lawsuits to the non-tax revenue sector for the first time nationwide ▲ restoring hidden assets concealed for intentional evasion through litigation and then proceeding with delinquent disposition. They also created a type-specific work manual to make the difficult collection process easy for anyone to perform, earning high praise from all the judges.

The city is expected to receive an additional financial incentive (special grant) of up to 200 million KRW for winning the grand prize at the excellent case presentation contest hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The head of Suncheon City's collection department stated, “The discovery of such advanced methods representing the nation was possible thanks to a tax research group encompassing both the MZ generation and Generation X.” He added, “Formed in 2019 as the Tax Jar and in 2022 as UnsungHero, these groups have passionately worked after hours to discover new revenue sources, research new collection techniques, and develop grant incentive indicators. The enthusiastic ideas of young employees combined with the know-how of senior officials have led to this achievement, aiming to gather and increase even a single won of Suncheon City's limited own resources.”

Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu of Suncheon said, “Expanding local finances is essential not only for local decentralization but also for balanced regional development,” adding, “A solid expansion of local taxes and non-tax revenues, which are the foundation of future Suncheon and fiscal decision-making authority, will be a driving force not only for the successful hosting of the 2023 Suncheonman International Garden Expo but also for advancing Suncheon to a first-class city.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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