Online applications for cadastral surveys rise 39.2%... LX portal revamp shows six-month impact

[Financial News] People who once went to government office counters to request cadastral surveys are increasingly turning to online services.
The Korea Land and Geospatial InformatiX Corporation (LX) said on the 12th that applications for cadastral surveys submitted through its portal in the six months after the revamp were up 39.2% from a year earlier. Before the revamp, online submissions were few. Around 200,000 cadastral survey applications are filed each year, and 70–80% of them were handled by applicants visiting city, county or district offices or LX in person, or by phone. Unfamiliar technical terms and cumbersome steps had been obstacles to using the online service.
The new portal can be used without creating an account. The application process, which had taken as many as 9 steps, has been shortened to 5. Applicants can complete the process by finding and entering the address of the land to be surveyed and stating the reason for the survey. Simple explanations have been added in place of difficult terms, and the screen layout has also been redesigned with user convenience in mind. LX says the ability to apply by mobile phone regardless of time or place has reduced the burden of time and cost.
The new portal replaces the former online service, the “Cadastral Surveying Baro Processing Center.” When it announced the revamp plan in April, LX had said it was receiving a string of complaints that the old system was difficult to use because of technical terms and complex procedures. Cadastral surveying is carried out to register or retrace the location, boundaries and area of land in the cadastral records, for example when a parcel is subdivided or its boundaries are rechecked. Demand from the general public remains steady, as surveys are often needed in boundary disputes between neighbors and during construction or land transactions. Given that 70–80% of applications were handled at counters or by phone, how much the share of online applications can be increased will be key to the success of the revamp.
Support is also being provided for people who are not familiar with digital devices. Staff visit older adults who are less comfortable using the internet and residents of remote areas to help them submit applications. LX had also said in April, when it announced the revamp plan, that this in-person support would be provided alongside the online portal.
LX President Eo Myeong-so said, "We have improved the service from the public’s perspective so that anyone can apply for cadastral surveys easily and quickly," adding, "We will continue to expand customer services that make a tangible difference to the public."

[email protected] Jeong Gyeong-su Reporter