Police Investigate 60-Year-Old Taxi Driver Who Set Fire to Taxi Association Director and Fled

Seoul Mapo Police Station logo / Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police announced on the 31st that they are investigating Mr. Lee, a taxi driver in his 60s, who set fire to the body of a director involved in conflicts over the operation of the taxi cooperative and then fled.

According to the police, Mr. Lee is suspected of pouring a flammable substance on the body of Director A of the Korea Taxi Cooperative and setting it on fire inside the dispatch office of the cooperative located in Mapo-gu, Seoul, around 1:30 a.m. on the 29th. At the time, Director A suffered second-degree burns and was transported to a nearby hospital.

Mr. Lee, who fled immediately after the crime, turned himself in at the Mapo Police Station around 11 p.m. the following day.

The Korea Taxi Cooperative, known as "Coop Taxi," was established in July 2015. At its launch, it gained recognition as a "good taxi without fixed daily fees," but after the first chairman, former National Assembly member Park Gye-dong, stepped down, conflicts arose among members over operational issues.

According to cooperative officials, Mr. Lee had conflicts with the current cooperative board, including Director A, and was subject to complaints and accusations from the board. The police are investigating the exact circumstances of the crime with Mr. Lee and are considering whether to request an arrest warrant.