Turning off 'Tada'... Park Jae-wook "Put in effort but fell short, apologizes to drivers"

Jaeuk Park, CEO of Socar

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] As the 11-seat van call service 'Tada Basic' ends at midnight on the 11th, Park Jae-wook, CEO of Socar, apologized to the drivers.

On the 10th, CEO Park said through the driver-only mobile application (app), "I apologize once again to all drivers," and began by stating, "As previously announced, the Tada Basic service will be suspended indefinitely starting from the 11th."

He said, "Tada was a service compliant with the law and was acquitted by the judiciary, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport ignored the court's ruling and pushed forward the Tada Prohibition Act, and the National Assembly passed the Tada Prohibition Act ahead of the general election, mindful of taxi votes."

CEO Park explained, "I thought we needed to endure at least a month for the drivers who suddenly lost their jobs and the users who loved Tada, and over the past month, we poured our thoughts and efforts into creating a new model to work in a different way, but it was insufficient."

He continued, "With the passage of the Tada Prohibition Act, all new investments were blocked, and combined with the deficits we had been bearing, VCNC was pushed into the worst situation. To make matters worse, the economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) added to the difficulties, leaving no way to carve out a new path amidst these challenges," and appealed, "The judgment of the National Assembly ahead of the election has taken away the future of one company and the precious jobs of drivers, which is truly heartbreaking."

Furthermore, CEO Park stated, "Regardless of the reasons, I failed to protect the jobs of the drivers," and said, "It is my own shortcoming for not preventing the Tada Prohibition Act, and my limitation in not overcoming a situation that turns legality into illegality," adding, "I deeply apologize once again for not keeping the promise to work together for a long time."