The National Tax Service on Thursday launched a tax audit into real estate transactions at six sites that are part of the government’s third New Town development project. 

The tax agency said it launched the probe after coming across suspicions of large-scale tax evasion while analyzing real estate deals at the six development sites, including Wangsook in Namyangju and Kyosan in Hanam. 

The agency will investigate a total of 165 people, including 115 whose source of funds used to purchase land is sketchy or who are suspected of getting inheritances in an expedient manner. 

The agency said that if deemed necessary, it will also look into the cash flows of relatives and friends of those being investigated and will see how people who took out loans to purchase land paid back such loans. 

The tax agency began a special task force on Tuesday charged with investigating tax evasion in real estate transactions in development regions. The agency is likely to expand its scope into other regions beyond the sites of the third New Town development project.