Lee: "Delinquency Management Is a Matter of National Trust... Need to Instill the Notion That Failing to Pay Taxes Is Unacceptable"

Lim Kwanghyun: "Examining KRW 130 Trillion in Delinquency... Task Force Collection Amounts Four Times the Budget"

Lee: "The Task Force Can Be Expanded Beyond 10,000... Write Off Arrears for Those Who Cannot Pay"

Fine Collection Transferred t

On July 15, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "Management of tax delinquencies is a matter of national trust," adding, "People must come to the realization that taxes must not be evaded." He ordered a complete normalization of delinquency administration by collecting from those who are able but intentionally refuse to pay taxes or fines until the end, while writing off delinquent accounts for those who truly lack the ability to pay.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Ministry Work Report held at the Blue House State Guest House on July 15, 2026. Photo by Blue House Press Photographers Group, Yonhap News Agency

During a ministry work report at the Blue House State Guest House on the same day, after receiving a briefing on delinquency management measures from Kwanghyun Lim, Commissioner of the National Tax Service, President Lee remarked, "A country operates normally only when failing to perform basic civic duties results in losses greater than any benefits gained," stressing his point.

Commissioner Lim reported, "We will confirm the actual status of delinquencies totaling 130 trillion won together with 10,000 citizens," outlining plans to expand the delinquency management corps. Since its launch with 500 members in March, the National Tax Delinquency Management Corps has immediately collected an amount nearly four times the initial budget within just four months. The plan is to scale up the workforce to 10,000 in order to simultaneously secure fiscal resources, promote tax justice, and create jobs.

Commissioner Lim said, “We will ensure the success of the 10,000-member delinquency management corps to maximize the policy effectiveness of this national project, which aims to secure fiscal resources, establish tax justice, and create productive jobs.” He went on to explain that the National Tax Service would also consolidate the collection of non-tax revenue arrears, which were inefficiently managed by various ministries, in order to prevent fiscal leakage.

President Lee emphasized the need to manage delinquents by classifying them as intentional delinquents, livelihood-driven delinquents, and those who simply forgot. He noted, "Among those who do not pay taxes or non-tax revenues, there are those who deliberately evade payment, those genuinely unable to pay, and those who simply forgot." He continued, "It's because the government keeps registering these individuals on paper but does not actively oversee them that some people repeatedly avoid payment." President Lee added, "If people have the ability, they should of course pay; if they do not, accounts should be written off and the records cleaned up; for those who forget, there should be an automatic notification system. That’s the only way to build a normal society. Everything must be set right."

There are currently about 1.3 million national tax delinquents. President Lee stated, "Those who are able to pay find ways to avoid payment, those who lack the means remain managed as delinquents for life, and those who forget aren't even aware of their delinquency status," criticizing, "This is all an utter mess."

Kwanghyun Lim, Commissioner of the National Tax Service, is reporting at the ministry work briefing presided over by President Jae-myung Lee at the Blue House State Reception Hall on July 15, 2026. [Photo by Blue House Press Photographers Group] Yonhap News

On this day, the tax authorities also disclosed the effectiveness of collections in the process of taking over management of delinquent fine payments from the police agency. Commissioner Lim said, "On June 30, we sent messages to delinquent payers informing them that from July 1, the National Tax Service would manage them. So many people rushed to pay that the police agency's servers nearly crashed." Whereas about 1.2 billion won in delinquent fines are paid per day on average, the amount surged to 3.8 billion won on the day the announcement was made, more than tripling. Commissioner Lim explained, "Once this system is established, it will prevent fiscal leakage and allow the police agency to focus on public safety work."

President Lee responded, "This is an area of administration the government had failed to properly execute, but once people realize that the government is actually managing it, procrastinating becomes costly, prompting delinquents to pay."

The order was also given to expand the manpower of the delinquency management corps, if necessary. When President Lee asked, "With about 10,000 members hired for the delinquency management corps, how much revenue does this produce compared to labor costs?" Commissioner Lim answered, "Immediate collection results are almost four times the input costs, and many delinquents have promised to pay in installments." He added, "When the management corps detects evidence of asset concealment by malicious high-amount delinquents, the cases are handed over to National Tax Service delinquency tracking officers. If we collect from these cases as well, results will be even greater."

President Lee responded, "If we mobilize personnel to issue payment notices and reminders, revenues raised through taxes and non-tax income will exceed labor costs, while also generating employment and jobs. If necessary, we can expand beyond the current 10,000 personnel." He continued, "These people are not becoming lifelong tax officials. Once delinquent work decreases and the system is organized, they can return to their previous lives. In the meantime, we should expand the workforce as much as possible to speed things up."

Commissioner Lim also expressed his intention to continue investigations into tax evasion in areas such as inflation, stocks, and real estate until the markets normalize. "We have demonstrated a strong message that anti-social delinquents who evade taxes and conceal assets will be tracked down and recovered, no matter where they hide—domestically or overseas," he said, vowing, "We will pursue and collect from malicious delinquents until the end." Concluding the National Tax Service work briefing, President Lee reiterated, "We must move swiftly to foster public awareness that tax evasion is unacceptable."

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