Home > National > Social Affairs

Ex-first lady's mother tops list of local penalty evaders as gov't releases tax dodgers' names

Published: 19 Nov. 2025, 15:54 Updated: 19 Nov. 2025, 18:44

Choi Eun-soon, mother of Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, appears for questioning as a suspect at the special counsel’s office investigating Kim at the KT Gwanghwamun West Building in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 4. [NEWS1]

Korea made public the names of more than 10,000 people and companies who failed to pay sizable local taxes or administrative penalties for over a year, a roster that again includes Choi Eun-soon, the mother of former first lady Kim Keon Hee, who topped the list of individual delinquent penalty payers.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety released the names of 9,153 new local tax delinquents and 1,468 delinquents in local administrative penalties as of Wednesday.

The total of 10,621 names represents a 3.4 percent increase from the previous year. Local governments publish the list nationwide on the third Wednesday of every November to strengthen tax collection and discourage nonpayment.

The disclosure covers people who left more than 10 million won ($6,800) in local administrative penalties unpaid for over a year, a threshold the government uses to classify high-value, habitual delinquents.

The published information includes a person or company’s name, age, occupation, address, type of unpaid tax or penalty and original due date.

Local tax delinquents owed a combined 527.709 billion won. Individuals accounted for 296.59 billion won across 5,829 people, while 3,324 corporations owed 231.12 billion won. Delinquents in Seoul and Gyeonggi accounted for more than half of the total, with 1,804 in Seoul and 2,816 in Gyeonggi.

The individual with the most unpaid local tax was identified as a Gyeonggi resident surnamed Choi, who failed to pay 34.251 billion won in tobacco consumption tax, which is levied on individuals or companies that manufacture or import tobacco products. The corporation with the most unpaid tax was a company in Gyeonggi that owed 20.99 billion won in the same tax category.

Participants browse items up for sale at the 2024 auction for seized property from delinquent local taxpayers, held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 26, 2024. Items on the block include luxury watches and handbags, diamond rings and other jewelry, as well as artworks, ceramics and golf clubs. [YONHAP]

A total of 1,468 people and corporations failed to pay administrative penalties imposed by local governments. Individuals owed 58.393 billion won and corporations owed 43.077 billion won, for a total of 101.47 billion won. The most common unpaid items were building compliance penalties and cadastral adjustment fees, which are paid for adjusting property lines.

Choi Eun-soon, the mother of former first lady Kim Keon Hee, topped the list of individual delinquents in this category. She owes 2.51 billion won in penalties imposed by Gyeonggi for violating the Act on the Registration of Real Estate under Actual Titleholder’s Name.

Among corporations, a school foundation in Busan owed the most, with 4.15 billion won in compensation for unauthorized use of public property.

The Interior Ministry and local governments select candidates for public disclosure based on payment status as of Jan. 1 each year. The local tax deliberation committee reviews each case, and authorities give delinquents a chance to explain before finalizing the list over a six-month process. Authorities remove names if more than half the outstanding amount is paid or if the balance drops below 10 million won during the review period.

Before the list was published this year, 4,744 people with unpaid local taxes paid a combined 65.1 billion won, while 1,365 people with unpaid administrative penalties paid 22.4 billion won.

The Interior Ministry has intensified enforcement against high-value, habitual delinquents. Authorities can seize and auction imported goods through the Korea Customs Service for those on the list with at least 10 million won in unpaid taxes and fines. They can also impose travel bans if delinquent amounts exceed 30 million won and consider detention for those who owe more than 50 million won.

The ministry will expand cooperation with financial authorities, including linking delinquency records with credit ratings and working with the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit to track assets. It also plans to increase the number of local delinquency management teams nationwide.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]