First introduced nationwide in 2024, the service went live across Seoul on Monday after the city built a shared system
KakaoTalk alerts link directly to ETAX, letting taxpayers check and pay outstanding local taxes on the spot
A mobile alert service for local tax public notices, first introduced nationwide by Gangnam-gu, has been expanded to all 25 autonomous districts in Seoul.
The case marks a rare instance of an administrative innovation developed at the district level being adopted into a citywide system and rolled out across the capital.
Gangnam-gu said its "smartphone public notice alert service," which the district launched on its own in July 2024, has been built into the Seoul Metropolitan Government's shared platform and began operating across all 25 districts on Monday.
Public notice service — known in Korean administrative practice as "gongsi songdal" — is a legal mechanism used when a local tax bill cannot be delivered to a taxpayer, typically because no one is home or the address is unreachable. The notice is posted on an official website or bulletin board, and after 14 days it is deemed legally delivered. In practice, however, many taxpayers missed the notices, causing them to miss payment deadlines and incur penalty surcharges.
To address that problem, Gangnam-gu became the first local government in the country to introduce a mobile service that notifies taxpayers of public notices via KakaoTalk. The system uses linked identification data to reach recipients without requiring a separate application or prior collection of phone numbers.
The alert messages also include a direct link to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's ETAX platform, allowing taxpayers to verify their public notice records, check for unpaid amounts and make immediate payments after a simple identity authentication. The legal effect of the original public notice is preserved while improving taxpayers' access to information and ease of payment.
Gangnam-gu had been processing more than 10,000 local tax public notices each year. After the mobile alert service was introduced starting with the regular property tax cycle in July 2024, about 7 billion won ($5.22 million) was collected within the payment deadline in the first round alone. The initiative was later highlighted as a best-practice case at a Seoul Metropolitan Government revenue collection strategy meeting the same year.
Building on those results, Gangnam-gu formally proposed expanding the service citywide in January this year and officially requested system development in February. The Seoul Metropolitan Government incorporated the plan into its 2026 revenue target strategy, completed the system build on Oct. 27 and launched the service on Monday.
With the expansion, taxpayers will be able to confirm public notices more quickly and avoid penalties such as late surcharges. District offices are also expected to benefit, as the system allows them to track notification delivery and payment status, improving the efficiency of delinquency management and resident inquiries.
Gangnam-gu plans to share the model with the Ministry of Interior and Safety and other local governments across the country, with the aim of spreading the service nationwide.
"It is deeply meaningful that an administrative innovation developed and proven effective at the district level has been adopted as a Seoul Metropolitan Government policy," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki said. "We will continue to pay close attention to even the smallest inconveniences residents face, turning ideas from the field into real systemic improvements, and drive the great transformation of Gangnam that residents can feel in their daily lives."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
