Province builds first-of-its-kind digital system nationwide, applying it to ancestral land searches and registration services
A digital system that converts colonial-era land registry records into hangul — the first of its kind in the country — is drawing attention as a model of innovative public administration in South Chungcheong Province.
South Chungcheong Province announced Thursday that digitized records from old land registries, originally written in Japanese-style hanja during the colonial period and since converted into hangul, are now being widely used across various administrative and public services.
As of the end of June this year, cumulative usage had reached 183,426 cases — 164,666 cases (89.8 percent) for administrative purposes and 18,760 cases (10.2 percent) for public service requests.
Administrative uses included cadastral error probes covering 114,606 cases, registration services for 35,022 cases and ancestral land searches for 15,038 cases, contributing to more accurate land information and the upkeep of cadastral records.
In the public services area particularly, the system has provided practical help to residents in verifying property rights and clarifying ownership through ancestral land search services and registration work.
Annual usage has consistently expanded: 65,858 cases were recorded in 2023–2024, when the system was first being established; 78,852 cases in 2025; and 38,716 cases in the first half of this year alone.
The province views the project as contributing not only to eliminating vestiges of the Japanese colonial period but also to improving the accuracy of land information, protecting residents' property rights and enhancing the credibility of cadastral administration.
"The hangul-digitized records of old land registries, built for the first time in the country, are becoming a foundation for protecting residents' property rights and improving the quality of administrative services," said Im Taek-bin, head of the province's Land and Spatial Policy Division. "We will continue to actively use digital records to improve the accuracy and efficiency of cadastral administration and consistently expand resident-centered administrative services."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
