22 Non-Member Golf Courses in Jeju Island Registered as Public-Type

Published 14 Apr.2023 15:17(KST)

22 out of 25 Non-Membership Golf Courses Designated as Public Type, Exempt from Individual Consumption Tax and Other Benefits

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has applied for public-type designation for 22 out of 25 non-membership golf courses in the province, and all have been designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, with the registration change process currently underway.

According to Jeju Province on the 14th, the non-membership golf courses that did not apply for public-type designation include one non-operating golf course and accessory golf courses with fewer than 9 holes of large membership courses.

Jeju area golf course. Not related to any specific facts in the article.

Golf courses were operated under two classification systems: membership and public, but at the end of last year, they were reorganized into membership, non-membership, and public types according to the partial amendment of the "Act on the Installation and Use of Sports Facilities" and the "Notice on the Designation of Public-type Golf Courses."

Accordingly, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism began accepting applications for public-type golf course designation from January 1 of this year.

With the new classification system for golf courses, it is believed that the golf industry applied for public-type designation considering the taxes imposed on non-membership courses and to receive tax exemption benefits such as individual consumption tax.

The total individual consumption tax imposed on golf courses in Jeju Province amounts to 21,120 KRW, including 12,000 KRW for individual consumption tax, 7,200 KRW for education tax and special agricultural tax, 1,920 KRW for value-added tax, and the National Sports Promotion Fund. With this designation, exemptions are expected to begin as early as the second half of this year.

To be designated as a public-type golf course, the course usage fee must be set within the upper limit standards announced annually by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the standard terms and conditions related to golf course use under the "Act on the Regulation of Terms and Conditions" must be applied. Only non-membership golf courses can apply for this designation.

Jeju Province plans to propose operational plans for the public-type golf course designation system suitable for local conditions in connection with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's authority to designate public-type golf courses, and to establish a foundation for revitalizing the golf tourism industry through consultations with the golf industry.

Oh Seong-yul, Director of the Culture, Sports and Education Bureau of Jeju Province, said, "The transition to public-type golf courses can be an opportunity for the golf tourism industry to take a leap forward," and added, "We plan to hold a meeting with the local golf industry next month to seek win-win solutions."