Via the Marmot’s Hole it appears that the Uber’s days are number in Korea once Daum-Kakao releases their app that is endorsed by t
South Korea’s leading free messenger service operator Daum Kakao said Wednesday it will launch a taxi service app by the first half of next year as it initiates a new platform of connecting online and offline businesses.
Daum Kakao signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seoul Taxi Association and Korea Smart Card Co. for the service that would link customers with the closest cab through a mobile app. The taxi association has some 255 Seoul-based cab operators as members, and Korea Smart Card is the country’s top transportation payment system provider.
“Daum Kakao has established important grounds for the operation of Kakao Taxi, and we plan to expand cooperation with other taxi operators throughout the country in the future,” the company said in its release. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but the Seoul city government passed an ordinance offering rewards of up to a Million Won to people who report Uber taxis which will set the stage for the Daum-Kakao app to take over this market.
I wonder if the crackdown on illegal taxi practices will include the high fares that some of these taxi drivers try and charge US military servicemembers instead of running the meter?:
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it would clamp down on illegal business practices of taxi drivers for the rest of the month.
Working with Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the city government deployed 120 officials, 277 police officers and four patrol cars equipped with surveillance cameras to prevent taxi drivers from turning down certain passengers in violation of regulations.
Taxis are required to accept customers regardless of their destination, but the practice of taxi drivers handpicking passengers or speeding away from them for various reasons is rampant in Seoul and elsewhere.
Seoul City officials will patrol the 24 busiest districts in Seoul including Jongno-gu, Guro-gu and Gangnam-gu until Dec. 31.
Officials will impose a fine of 200,000 won ($180) on taxi drivers who refuse passengers. The city also plans to clamp down weekly on taxis from other areas such as Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, which are barred from transporting customers within Seoul. [Korea Herald]
You can read more at the link.
I will be surprised if Korean authorities allow Uber to continue to operate over the long term considering how it will greatly affect the large number of taxi drivers in the country:
Uber, a U.S-based ride-sharing service app company, has proposed meetings with taxi drivers in Seoul who have been protesting its presence in Korea.
An official from the Seoul Taxi Association (STA) reacted negatively to the proposal, saying Uber will have to stop its service first.
“Uber remains open to meeting with the taxi associations to discuss how Uber can help improve the lives and economic opportunities for Seoul’s taxi drivers,” Uber Korea said in a statement released Tuesday.
The statement came after thousands of taxi drivers staged a rally in central Seoul, asking the city government to kick Uber out of the Korean market.
“Uber first must agree to stop their service. Then, we can talk,” a tax lobby official said.
Launched in August, Uber connects customers with Uber-registered drivers through a smartphone app. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but has anyone tried this yet in Korea? I wonder how much cheaper this is compared to the already reasonable taxi fares?
There probably isn’t a greater miscarriage of justice against a USFK servicemember than what happened to this soldier upon arrival at Incheon International Airport back in 2004:
The Seoul High Court yesterday overturned the conviction by a lower court of a 49-year old taxi driver who had been charged with the rape of a 19-year old U.S. female soldier.
The man had received a 10-month prison term in the original trial after being convicted of luring the newly-arrived servicewoman from Incheon International Airport to a hotel near there where the woman said he raped her.
The woman reported the incident to U.S. military authorities, who asked for assistance from Korean prosecutors.
The appeals court ruled that the woman had shown no evidence of having refused the man’s advances, and that he used “not enough violence to constitute rape.”
The prosecution said it would take the matter to the Supreme Court. The U.S. servicewoman returned to the United States in February; the defendant’s appeal was decided without her presence. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
So what are the odds that a 19 year old US soldier who arrived in the country for the first time would just suddenly want to have sex with a 49 year old taxi driver as soon as she gets off the plane? It doesn’t make any sense, but in the Korean court system it makes perfect sense. This is an incident that if it happened today USFK and the US government would probably have made large protests about with the cab driver not being punished for his crime. However, back in 2004 USFK was on the defensive due to the anti-US movement that had been triggered by the 2002 armored vehicle accident that killed two Korean school girls.
I have always hoped that everything turned out alright for this soldier who was raped and the perpetrator was allowed to walk. However, remember this story the next time someone makes the claim about GIs never being punished for crimes in Korea.
Note: You can read more GI Flashbacks articles by clicking on the below link:
