Taxi driver overcharging soldier triggers online outrage

(Herald DB)

A Korean soldier’s account of a taxi driver attempting to charge him triple the indicated fare has ignited fury online.

According to an anonymous soldier who said he was serving in Inje, Gangwon Province, the taxi driver demanded 30,000 won ($23.70) despite the taximeter showing a fare of only 8,800 won.

The driver justified the inflated charge by contending the fare would not even cover the cost of gas for driving such a short distance. When the soldier questioned the driver, the driver made a note of his name and threatened to report him to officers, the anonymous poster said.

When the soldier refused to pay, the driver turned the taxi around and drove back to the base, causing a commotion upon arrival. The online post did not reveal how officers at the base responded to the driver's actions.

The solider further pointed out the taxi driver’s familiarity with the military system, saying that “it seems likely he had performed similar illegal practices before.”

The incident was reported on a Facebook page called "Military Bamboo Forest," an online community where South Korean soldiers express their opinions and share information.

Other online users shared their own stories of absurd demands from taxi drivers, such as requests for separate fares from two passengers or inflating the fare to three times the appropriate amount.

In February 2019, the Army made changes to the regulation that required soldiers on short leave of one or two days to stay in designated areas near their posts. Soldiers are now permitted to travel such a distance that allows them to return to their posts within a two-hour drive.

This decision faced strong opposition from local restaurant, motel and shop owners in Yanggu-gun, Gangwon Province, who feared losing their main customer base of local soldiers.

Infamous for taking advantage of the area restriction rule, these establishments had been overcharging both local soldiers and their visitors, who were only permitted to stay in the designated areas.

Following the revision of the rule and disestablishment of the 2nd Division Republic of Korea Army from Yanggu-gun, local businesses suffered significant financial losses, with an estimated annual revenue decrease of approximately 93 billion won, according to Yanggu-gun.

However, some local establishments are seen to still be seeking opportunities to exploit soldiers who stay away from their military units for short periods of time.

In June last year, another incident that sparked public outrage involved an internet cafe in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province. The cafe charged local soldiers 11,000 won for a single meal and computer use on weekdays, and 21,000 won on weekends, despite the soldiers only being allowed to spend a few hours outside the military unit.

The owner reportedly did not allow soldiers to use the computers without a meal, and only accepted cash payment, not credit cards.

Many online berated the internet cafe owner for gaining undue profits from soldiers who had nowhere else to go during their free time outside the unit.

A 23-year-old corporal in the Korean Army with the surname Yoo told the Korea Herald that he attributed the lack of respect for soldiers to the taxi driver’s indecency.

Yoo said, "If I were in that situation, I would have also refused to pay. As long as we use the taxi service, we should be treated as customers rather than just soldiers.”

Yoo further expressed the hope that people would appreciate the service of soldiers to the nation, irrespective of their rank.

A captured image showing a notice at an internet cafe in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province, displaying weekday and weekend prices for computer use, including one meal. (Online community)

By No Kyung-min(minmin@heraldcorp.com)