Administrator Kang Min-soo, who led the National Tax Service with the slogan 'A National Tax Service that does its job properly,' retired on the 23rd. He is stepping down exactly one year after taking office on July 22 last year. This concludes Administrator Kang's 31 years and 3 months of public service.
The slogan 'A National Tax Service that does its job properly' was first used by Administrator Kang when he served as the head of the General Affairs Division in 2012 during an administrative report to the then Administrator.
It embodies the will to properly secure tax revenues, the source of national finances, while resolving citizens' inconveniences with warm tax administration.
Administrator Kang is credited with leading many changes in the National Tax Service during his one-year term, as the slogan indicated.
A notable achievement mentioned is the introduction of AI tax administration technology, which increased the tax consultation rate through the implementation of AI counselors.
Before last year's year-end tax settlement, he also established a system to provide family income information to prevent errors in personal deductions. The issue of errors in personal deductions during year-end tax settlements was criticized after it was revealed that Administrator Kang had made a mistake in his spouse's personal deduction during his confirmation hearing before taking office.
After taking office, Administrator Kang said, 'If someone who has worked at the National Tax Service for a long time can make such mistakes, citizens will find it even harder,' and ordered the establishment of improvement measures, achieving results only five months after taking office.
He also contributed to increased tax revenues, resulting in an increase of about 800 billion won in income tax revenue by blocking errors in personal deductions for dependents during year-end tax settlements.
Additionally, in consultation with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Financial Services Commission, he lowered the reserve setting rate for insurance companies, which led to a normalization of the taxable standards, increasing corporate tax revenue by about 1.5 trillion won.
Policies to expand appraisals for strengthening real estate taxation also resulted in an effect of increasing tax revenues by about 1 trillion won.
In terms of organizational management, he divided the previously annual promotion appointments into first and second halves of the year, increasing opportunities for promotion. The number of people promoted in 2024 alone reached 1,599. This measure has resolved the personnel backlog that had been prevalent within the agency.
To boost employee morale, he was also known as an 'open-handed Administrator' who knew how to spend money. Administrator Kang held employee gift presentation ceremonies every Christmas, spending millions of won from his own pocket. The gift drawing, conducted in a 'lucky draw' format, allowed not only the main office staff but also external participants such as those cleaning and managing safety in the office building.
Administrator Kang earned the trust of employees through such large-hearted leadership and casual interactions. On the day of the retirement ceremony, employees hung a large banner in front of the auditorium at the National Tax Service headquarters featuring a portrait of Administrator Kang and the words from a poem by Jung Hee-jae, 'You have really worked hard. It has been tough to get here.'
Before the official retirement ceremony, a video letter created by National Tax Service staff included a dedication to Administrator Kang with the poem 'Flower 3' by Na Tae-ju. The phrase 'Because you are you, I want to see you and love you' played alongside Carrie Ann's pop song 'I.O.U.' One National Tax Service employee said, 'He was truly a warm person,' adding, 'I wish Administrator Kang happiness on his path after retirement.'