Mayor Lee Donghwan Vows Strong Collection Measures Against Habitual Malicious Delinquents to Uphold Tax Justice

Big Data-Driven Collection Strategies Lead to Record Results
61.2% of Delinquency Target Achieved, Securing Fiscal Resources for City Development
Livelihood-Related Delinquents Exempted, Goyang Wins Top Award for Special Collection Measures

Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) announced on August 18 that it has collected 27 billion won, or 61.2% of this year’s local tax delinquency resolution target of 44.1 billion won, by implementing a new collection strategy based on big data analysis and systematic data review. This figure marks an increase of 2 billion won compared to the same period last year.

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City (center), attending the 2025 Gyeonggi Province Local Tax Delinquency Evaluation Award Ceremony. Provided by Goyang Special City

The city has maintained a steady upward trend in collections over the past three years. The amount collected rose from 28 billion won in 2022 to 28.1 billion won in 2023, and 29.8 billion won in 2024. Automobile tax collections also increased from 9.9 billion won (collection rate of 57.4%) in 2022 to 10 billion won (collection rate of 63.2%) this year, ranking first in Gyeonggi Province for delinquent tax collection rates.

Since this year, the city has been actively utilizing big data analytics from its next-generation system, which oversees local tax administration.

Big data analysis has been integrated into the 'Man-to-Man Encouragement Service (Responsible Collection System),' which assigns each delinquent taxpayer to a dedicated staff member for personalized consultation. By comprehensively analyzing assets, income, credit information, tax payment history, and delinquency duration, the city classifies recovery potential into five levels and implements tailored collection strategies for each grade.

For the top two grades, where recovery potential is high, the city encourages prompt payment. For grades three and four, payment reminders and delinquency disposition procedures are carried out. For grade five, a thorough investigation is conducted to distinguish between livelihood-driven and habitual delinquents. Livelihood-driven cases are offered deferred disposition or installment payments, while habitual delinquents are subject to strong measures such as seizure and public auction.

Kakao Alimtalk Introduction Workshop. Provided by Goyang Special City

In the first half of this year, focused encouragement of grades one and two led to 210 individuals (38.2%) paying a total of 240 million won. Additionally, a survey of those with five or more overdue automobile taxes or delinquencies exceeding 1 million won resulted in the collection of approximately 210 million won from 872 individuals. For malicious delinquents, the city conducted 'home searches,' searching 53 residences and business locations and recovering a total of 680 million won.

For the first time nationwide, the city used the local finance system (e-Hojo) to identify and seize unrefunded deposits from delinquent taxpayers, helping to prevent tax revenue leakage. The manual for bond seizure, developed based on this case, has been distributed to all cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province. In the second half of the year, the city plans to conduct a comprehensive review of farmland preservation charges to uncover hidden claims. There was also a case where the city identified and collected the full amount of 3.5 million won in deposits from a foreign delinquent taxpayer.

Furthermore, since this year, the city has expanded its KakaoTalk delinquency pre-notification service into a 'Local Tax and Non-Tax Revenue Delinquency Mobile Electronic Notification Service.' This allows delinquent taxpayers to immediately check and pay overdue amounts via smartphone, reducing the number of minor delinquency cases and preventing administrative inefficiency.

In March, Goyang City became the only city in Gyeonggi Province to establish a dedicated task force for managing delinquent vehicles. The task force focuses on intensive crackdowns on habitual and large-scale delinquent vehicles and conducts license plate seizures year-round.

Day of Intensive Crackdown on Seized License Plates of Overdue Vehicles. Provided by Goyang Special City

To recover the 16 billion won in overdue automobile taxes, the city is implementing the following measures: intensive crackdowns on license plates of over 20,000 vehicles with two or more delinquencies; compulsory towing and public auction of vehicles with four or more overdue payments; and crackdowns on illegally registered vehicles (so-called 'Daepo cars').

In particular, the city has intensified crackdowns on illegally registered vehicles ('Daepo cars'), which are often used for various delinquencies and crimes. By cross-analyzing vehicle registration data with owner and insurance information and conducting on-site inspections, the city seized license plates from 1,000 delinquent vehicles and auctioned off 47 cases in the first half of this year, collecting a total of 650 million won. This represents a 277% increase compared to the same period last year.

The city also uses big data to precisely analyze license plate seizure trends. Areas with frequent seizures and blind spots are pre-designated as targets for enforcement, effectively blocking attempts to evade delinquency collection at the source.

Thanks to these comprehensive efforts, Goyang City has been selected as an outstanding institution for three consecutive years in the 'Local Tax Delinquency Resolution Evaluation' hosted by Gyeonggi Province. This year, the city also won the grand prize in the 'Special Collection Measures Evaluation for the First Half of the Year' within its group.

2024 Goyang City Co-Hosted Gyeonggi Province Local Tax Delinquent Joint Public Auction. Provided by Goyang Special City

Mayor Lee Donghwan stated, "We will provide opportunities for recovery to livelihood-driven delinquent taxpayers facing financial hardship, while taking strong collection measures against malicious habitual delinquents to realize tax justice. We will continue to ensure rigorous tax management to prevent fiscal leakage, so that the benefits are fully returned to our citizens and the city."

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