South Korea Unleashes New Crackdown On Seoul Taxi Drivers As Overtourism Fuels Surge In Tourist Complaints Over Overcharging And Ride Refusals

Published on August 7, 2025 |

By: TTW News Desk

In consequence to mounting complaints from overseas visitors and increasing concerns complete overtourism-related misconduct, South Korea has launched a sweeping caller 100-day crackdown successful Seoul to extremity taxi drivers from overcharging, refusing short-distance rides, and exploiting world tourists. With tourer arrivals surging and nan superior city’s carrier strategy nether pressure, authorities are intensifying efforts to reconstruct spot and amended nan recreation acquisition by targeting forbidden taxi practices astatine awesome tourer hubs, airports, and downtown districts — a move seen arsenic basal to protecting nan country’s world image during its highest recreation season.

South Korea Launches 100-Day Crackdown connected Taxi Scams Targeting Foreign Tourists successful Seoul

In a bold move to heighten nan recreation acquisition for world visitors, South Korea has launched a broad 100-day crackdown connected forbidden taxi practices successful Seoul, aimed specifically astatine curbing nan mistreatment of overseas tourists. The initiative, announced connected August 6 by nan Seoul Metropolitan Government, is designed to reside long-standing complaints astir overcharging, extremity extortion, and work refusal, peculiarly astatine awesome introduction points and tourism hotspots crossed nan capital.

Aiming to Protect nan Nation’s Image During Tourism Peak

With world arrivals to South Korea steadily rebounding, metropolis officials person prioritized this run arsenic portion of broader efforts to build a estimation for tourist-friendly services successful nan lead-up to nan highest autumn recreation season. According to Seoul’s proscription department, nan crackdown will attraction connected forbidden taxi operations astatine awesome tourer sites, including Myeong-dong, Gwanghwamun, Dongdaemun, and high-traffic zones for illustration Incheon International Airport and Gimpo Airport.

Key violations being targeted include:

• Charging exorbitant fares beyond metered rates
• Demanding unsolicited tips from tourists
• Refusing rides deemed excessively short aliases unprofitable
• Deliberately taking detours to inflate fare amounts
• Offering forbidden services to unsuspecting visitors

City Staff to Monitor Hotspots for Offenders

To enforce this campaign, Seoul civilian servants will beryllium deployed successful cardinal parts of nan metropolis wherever tourer complaints person been astir concentrated. City officials will behaviour undercover surveillance operations to drawback violators successful nan act. Areas astir Seoul’s cardinal districts, airports, and edifice zones will person heightened scrutiny, particularly during nighttime hours erstwhile visitors are much susceptible to value manipulation.

Transportation agency caput Yeo Jang-kwon emphasized that nan extremity is not conscionable reward but prevention. “This 100-day cognition is simply a proactive measurement to amended Seoul’s nationalist image and tourer satisfaction,” he stated. “By correcting nan behaviour of taxi operators now, we purpose to foster semipermanent improvements successful nan city’s proscription culture.”

A Response to Growing Complaints from Tourists

This inaugural is not without context. According to metropolis data, 139 instances of taxi overcharging and 109 refusals of work to overseas passengers were reported astatine airports adjacent Seoul successful nan first half of nan twelvemonth alone. These figures correspond conscionable a fraction of nan full violations, arsenic galore incidents spell unreported.

While sporadic enforcement campaigns person been held since 2015, this caller 100-day effort is nan astir concentrated and publically promoted to date. It reflects Seoul’s renewed committedness to positioning itself arsenic a premium world recreation destination—especially amid title from neighboring countries for illustration Japan and Thailand that are besides ramping up tourism reform.

How Tourists Can Report Taxi Violations

In an effort to impact travelers straight successful nan campaign, multilingual reporting devices person been introduced astatine Incheon and Gimpo Airports. Small card-sized study slips, disposable successful English, Chinese, and Japanese, are distributed astatine accusation counters and taxi stands. Each paper contains a QR codification that leads to a mobile-friendly reporting shape wherever visitors tin taxable complaints astir their taxi acquisition successful real-time.

The metropolis has besides encouraged travelers to archive evidence—such arsenic licence sheet numbers, driver photos, and fare receipts—when filing reports. These submissions are reviewed promptly and tin consequence successful disciplinary action, including fines aliases suspension of taxi licenses.

What Tourists Need to Know About Fares

To thief visitors navigate pinch confidence, here’s a speedy guideline to Seoul’s modular taxi fare system:

• Base fare for a modular taxi up to 1.6 kilometers: ₩4,800 (around $4.50)
• Additional charge: ₩100 for each 131 meters
• Nighttime guidelines fare: Ranges from ₩5,800 to ₩6,700, depending connected nan hour

Tourists are advised to guarantee meters are switched connected astatine nan commencement of nan travel and to debar unlicensed aliases unofficial taxi services that often loiter adjacent awesome hotels and airports.

South Korea’s Broader Vision for Tourism

This taxi inaugural is conscionable 1 of galore measures nether South Korea’s nationalist tourism revival strategy, which includes improving overseas connection signage, expanding integer costs options for overseas cards, and building smart accusation kiosks astatine metropolis attractions.

With recreation request connected nan rise, Seoul is moving difficult to guarantee that nan value of its crushed services matches nan richness of its taste offerings. Authorities dream that by eliminating petty scams and work discrimination, nan superior will spot stronger return visitant numbers and higher tourer restitution rankings globally.

As nan 100-day countdown begins, South Korea is sending a clear message: nan state values its guests—and will return decisive action to guarantee they are treated fairly.