"70,000 Won Taxi Fare from Seoul to Incheon Airport?"... Netizens Fume over Overcharging Scandal Targeting Foreigners

A total of 690,800 won charged, including toll fees

Driver demanded separate payment via in-car card terminal

A Taiwanese tourist visiting Korea reportedly became the victim of a double payment scam, being charged approximately 700,000 won for a taxi ride from Gwangjin-gu, Seoul to Incheon International Airport. The incident has sparked widespread outrage among netizens.

Receipt details for a taxi ride from Gwangjin-gu, Seoul to Incheon International Airport. Thread capture

On June 30, a post appeared on social networking services (SNS) describing how traveler A was charged an excessive fare after taking a taxi in Korea.

A stated, "When you take a taxi in Korea, you have to pay a fare of about 690,000 won. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to get into the car," and shared the payment receipt and travel route.

The published photo clearly showed the route from Gwangjin-gu, Seoul to Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport, including a toll fee of 66,000 won, with the total amount paid precisely listed as 690,800 won.

A claimed, "The taxi driver insisted I swipe my own card and made it clear I wouldn’t be allowed to leave if I didn’t pay. I tried to find an airport staff member to request interpretation, but the taxi driver kept urging me to hurry." He added, "It was so absurd and unfair. There was very little time left before my flight. For that amount of money, you could probably go from South Korea to North Korea."

A explained that although the correct fare had already been paid via the Uber platform, the taxi driver demanded a separate, duplicate payment, resulting in greater financial loss. This additional payment was processed not through Uber, but directly via the driver’s personal payment terminal. The tourist reported the incident to Uber customer service, but was initially told that an immediate refund would be difficult because the payment was made outside the platform.

Later, Uber stated that after confirming with the driver, a refund was possible. Uber explained, "We have confirmed with the driver that a fare was indeed charged on-site. If the platform fare payment is successfully completed, the driver has agreed to refund the 690,800 won charged on-site." They added, "We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this incident."

After returning to Taiwan, A filed an international payment dispute with their credit card company and is currently awaiting the result of the refund process.

B, a Korean who shared news of A's ordeal, strongly criticized the taxi driver, saying, "Don’t bring shame on Koreans." Other netizens responded with comments such as, "Don’t let hardworking taxi drivers be blamed for this," "This is an embarrassment for Korea," "It’s basically highway robbery," "All personal details have been disclosed—after verifying the facts, the driver’s license should be revoked," and "How can an extra 600,000 won be justified? The person who has damaged Korea’s reputation must be punished."

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