On January 11, Gyeonggi Province announced that it had contributed to the protection of property rights by providing information on 37,155 square kilometers of land, which is equivalent to approximately 3.6 times the total provincial area (10,199.54 square kilometers), to Gyeonggi residents and public institutions.

Specifically, Gyeonggi Province provided land information, including that pertaining to 8,000 applications and 59 million parcels (37,000 square kilometers), to public institutions seeking policy data regarding such matters as 122,000 applications, 170,000 lots (155 square kilometers), and tax arrears, as well as lawsuits and investigations through the ‘ancestral land search service’ for individuals or their heirs.

The ‘ancestral land search service’ for general Gyeonggi residents is a free administrative service. When an individual dies unexpectedly and the heirs are unaware of the current state of land ownership, this service ascertains current land ownership as registered in the public cadastre through computerized inquiries.

The ‘ancestral land search service’ can access the whole country irrespective of the land area to be searched. The required documents are as follows: the applicant must present ID, or their proxy must bring a power of attorney and a copy of the applicant’s ID. The heir of the deceased needs to submit documents proving that they are the heir (copy of family register, basic certificate, certificate of family relationship, etc.). For more detailed information, please contact the nearest city/province or city/county/district office and visit the relevant department to utilize the service.

Gyeonggi Province has been operating the ‘online ancestral land search service’ since November 2022 to address increased demand for non-face-to-face administrative services due to the spread of COVID-19 as well as civil complaints stemming from in-person visits.

This service can be accessed via the K-Geo platform, the National Spatial Information Portal, and Government 24. The online service targets parents, spouses, and descendants who died on or after January 1, 2008. When applying, the basic certificate of the subject of inquiry (ancestor) and the family relation certificate downloaded from the electronic family relation registration system of the Supreme Court must be attached.

Go Joong-guk, Director of Gyeonggi Province’s Land Information Division, said, “Resident satisfaction with the ancestral land search service is very high. We will contribute to the protection of the property rights of residents through active publicity.”