Man in Suit Flees After 200,000 Won Taxi Fare for 187km from Seoul to Chungnam

187km Taxi Fare Unpaid and Disappeared
Temple: "A Monk Who Doesn't Live Here"... Police Are Tracking

A man who took a taxi for 4 hours from Seoul to a temple in Chungnam disappeared without paying the taxi fare of about 200,000 won, and the police are searching for his whereabouts.

According to KBS on the 29th, on the 6th when heavy rain was pouring, a man wearing sunglasses and Buddhist monk robes boarded a taxi in Seoul. This man, who introduced himself as a "Seunim" (monk), was headed to a temple in Cheongyang, Chungnam.

[Photo by KBS News Screen Capture]

The man asked the taxi driver how far the destination was, and when the driver replied it was 187 km, he said, "Let's go!" The driver then drove through the rain for 4 hours to the temple but did not receive the fare of 186,000 won.

After arriving at the destination, the man said, "I will visit the monk. Stay still," and got out of the taxi. The taxi driver waited there, but only heard rumors that "the head monk is not present." When the driver asked, "When will the (head monk) come? I have to go back to Seoul," the man did not respond.

The police were dispatched after the taxi driver's report, but the man had no cash or card. He promised to "transfer the money within a week," and when the responding police said, "Trust me, you have no criminal record," the taxi driver returned to Seoul.

However, it has been reported that the man has not been heard from for over 20 days since then. As the payment was not made continuously, the taxi driver eventually filed a complaint against the man. The temple stated, "He is a monk who does not live here," indicating that they did not know the man. The police, who received the complaint, are pursuing the whereabouts of the missing man.

Meanwhile, according to the Minor Offenses Act, a person who rides without paying or eats without paying without a legitimate reason is subject to a fine, detention, or penalty not exceeding 100,000 won. If it is recognized that the offender has a bad criminal record such as repeated offenses, it is classified as fraud under the Criminal Act and punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine not exceeding 20 million won.