A man in his 50s who tried to save 15,000 won on a taxi fare ended up paying 67 times that amount in fines

Promise to pay followed by taxi boarding
Payment not made upon arrival

A man in his 50s who tried to save 15,000 won on a taxi fare was fined 67 times that amount on fraud charges. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] A man in his 50s who agreed in advance to pay 15,000 won for a taxi ride early in the morning but failed to pay was ultimately sentenced to a fine of 1,000,000 won, which is 67 times the taxi fare.

On the 26th, Judge Gong Min-ah of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 1 announced that A (59), who was indicted on charges of fraud, was sentenced to a fine of 1,000,000 won, equivalent to a summary order.

On February 2nd at around 3:20 a.m., A hailed a taxi driven by B on a road in Wonju, Gangwon Province, promising, "If you carry my bicycle in the trunk and drive me to my destination, I will pay 15,000 won," and then boarded the taxi.

However, A was prosecuted for failing to pay the agreed taxi fare of 15,000 won to B upon arrival at the destination.

The prosecution judged that since A boarded the taxi without cash or any means to pay the fare, he deceived the taxi driver and obtained a financial benefit from the taxi driver B regarding the usage fee.

A appealed this decision by requesting a formal trial, but the first trial court's judgment did not differ.

Judge Gong stated, "A's actions deceived the taxi driver and are recognized as guilty," and sentenced him to a fine of 1,000,000 won, equivalent to the summary order.