Seoul City Detects 347 Cases of Illegal Taxi Operations Targeting Foreigners

Special Crackdown Focused on Major Destinations Including Airports, Hotels, and Itaewon

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 22nd that it is strengthening crackdowns on illegal taxi operations targeting foreigners to alleviate inconveniences faced by the rapidly increasing number of foreign visitors using taxis and to enhance the image of Seoul as a advanced city.

Accordingly, to increase the effectiveness of the crackdowns, Seoul deployed 22 enforcement officers proficient in English, Japanese, and Chinese to major foreign visitor areas such as airports, hotels, and Itaewon. They conducted 7,429 interview-style inspections regarding taxi usage inconveniences, resulting in the detection of 347 cases of unfair fare collection and other violations, which were referred for administrative action.

The main types of violations detected include ▲'Unfair fare collection,' where a 20% surcharge on the regular fare (time-based surcharge system) was applied, accounting for 75.5% or 262 cases, ▲‘Non-use of the meter,’ where the fare was agreed upon with passengers in advance, accounting for 11.8% or 41 cases, ▲and ‘Operating outside the business area,’ where taxis picked up passengers outside Seoul while empty, also accounting for 11.8% or 41 cases.

Of the 347 illegal operation cases detected, 334 cases (96.3%) occurred at Incheon International Airport, 11 cases (3.1%) at Gimpo Airport, and 2 cases (0.6%) in other major city areas, indicating that unfair fare collection (time-based surcharge application) frequently occurs at Incheon International Airport.

Seoul plans to focus crackdowns on illegal operations centered around Incheon International Airport, where cases frequently occur, and is also strengthening inspections in other areas frequently visited by foreigners such as Myeongdong, Seoul Station, and Itaewon, in response to the increase in foreign visitors.

Baek Ho, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Transportation Office, stated, “We plan to continuously crack down on illegal taxi operations to ensure that the increasing number of foreign visitors do not experience inconveniences when using transportation.” He added, “In parallel, we will communicate with the taxi industry by sharing frequently occurring illegal operation cases to encourage the industry to voluntarily maintain transport order and work on preventing illegal operations.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.