[Customs Service Betrayal] "Unable to Pay Additional Charges"... Importer Changed Company Name

The Korea Customs Service has begun imposing massive additional duties on companies importing mung beans from Peru, and it has been confirmed that some import companies are continuing their operations by changing the names of their representatives. In fact, proper customs duty collection is not being carried out against companies that maliciously withhold documents.

Mung beans for sowing growing locally in Peru. Photo by Contributor

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 6th, some companies importing Peruvian mung beans in Korea are changing their business names to evade customs duty collection by customs authorities. Currently, the Korea Customs Service is demanding an additional duty of 607.5% from companies judged to have failed to provide proof of origin for Peruvian mung beans, and most companies are making efforts to secure documents by traveling all the way to Peru. On the other hand, some companies are deliberately avoiding this.

A representative from Company A said, "Even though the Customs Service demands payment, I know the company and its representative who imported mung beans despite customs clearance being withheld," and lamented, "They operate the import business by changing the business registration name, and it was a mistake to stop importing and cooperate with the investigation after the customs duty was imposed." A representative from Company B also said, "I know places that closed their existing companies and opened new ones after receiving customs duties," and hinted, "They appoint people with poor credit as representatives and pay them up to 4 million won per month."

It is also known that some people prepare for the purpose of not paying taxes at all. These individuals are the founders who established the companies but do not list themselves on the shareholder register. Since the customs duty is imposed on the company, not the individual, even if the company goes bankrupt, the individual is not responsible. Although there is a penalty that prevents re-establishing a company for a certain period, if the name is changed to another person, the same method can be used to generate profits.

Customs authorities are also reportedly identifying mung bean import companies that evade customs duties. According to the Korea Customs Service, 249 individuals were publicly disclosed last year as high-amount and habitual tax delinquents, with total unpaid taxes amounting to 1.07 trillion won. Among these, unpaid taxes on agricultural, livestock, and fishery products amounted to 787.5 billion won, accounting for nearly 79% of the total unpaid taxes.

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