Intensified 100-day enforcement against taxi frauds exploiting foreign visitors in Seoul

Intensified 100-day enforcement against taxi frauds exploiting foreign visitors in Seoul

Seoul city authorities have initiated a 100-day campaign, running from August to November 2025, to address the issue of taxi misconduct and protect foreign tourists from overcharging, refusal of short rides, and demand for tips. The focus will be on high-traffic areas like Incheon Airport and popular tourist districts such as Myeong-dong [1][2][3][5].

The campaign aims to ensure fair usage of meters and prevent illegal transactions in these zones. Key measures include strict monitoring and intervention against drivers who refuse short rides or overcharge by using meters improperly or taking longer routes. The emphasis will be on transport hubs and tourist hotspots where complaints have been most frequent [1][2][3].

The initiative is part of an effort to reduce taxi-related complaints, which account for approximately 19% of all grievances reported to the Korea Tourism Organization, highlighting the scale of the problem [1][2][3]. The city is also raising the cost of penalties for drivers who break the rules to deter such behaviour.

In addition to the crackdown, card-sized survey slips have been made available at Incheon Airport and Gimpo Airport for foreign customers to report violations. The offensive will also focus on taxi activities at airports and tourist attractions like Gyeongbokgung Palace and Myeong-dong shopping district [1][2][3].

This move is intended to "rectify illegal taxi activities ahead of the peak tourism season" and improve tourists’ trust in Seoul's taxi services. The service for reporting violations is available in English, Chinese, and Japanese to facilitate communication with foreign visitors [1].

Notably, in May 2024, a taxi driver in Jeju was found to have charged nearly 10 times the standard rate for a trip [4]. Similarly, there have been regular cases of taxi firms or drivers inflating journey prices, not turning on their meter, and unnecessarily extending trips by taking longer routes [1][2][3]. Drivers have also been criticized for turning down requests for short rides and refusing certain passengers in favor of overcharging tourists [1][2][3].

In 2024, around 139 cases of overcharging at airports near Seoul were uncovered during regular crackdowns on the ride-hailing sector [1][2]. This year, an additional 109 cases of taxi drivers turning down short journey requests from foreign passengers have been discovered [1].

Night-time fares in Seoul are higher, with night-time fares up to 6,700 won (€4,14) per 1.6 km. However, for every additional 131 metres, another 100 won (€0,06) can be charged [1]. The standard taxi rate for travel up to 1.6km in Seoul is 4,800 won (€2,96) [1].

The city's efforts to address these issues are part of a broader commitment to improving the experience of foreign tourists in Seoul and ensuring a safe, reliable, and fair taxi service.

[1] - Seoul Metropolitan Government press release, August 2025 [2] - Korea Tourism Organization report, August 2025 [3] - The Korea Herald, August 2025 [4] - Yonhap News Agency article, May 2024 [5] - CNN Travel, August 2025

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