Daejeon Specialty 'Beauty Taxi' Withdraws Solo Protest... "Is There No Administration for Citizens?"

'Beauty Taxi' Equipped with Cosmetic Supplies Receives Operation Suspension Notice
"Hard to Accept... We Don't Want to Be Cowardly" Protest
Daejeon City: "Difficult to Intervene in Contract Regulations Between Companies"

“Beauty Taxi,” which attracted attention for being equipped with various beauty products inside the taxi, has suspended operations due to a safety report, and taxi driver An Seong-woo expressed disappointment with Daejeon City's response. On the 6th, An stated in a press release sent to Asia Economy, “It was an incomprehensible decision by a large corporation, but I had no choice but to comply,” adding, “There is administration for companies, but no administration for citizens,” and announced that he would stop his one-person protest in front of Daejeon City Hall.

Mr. An, who staged a solo protest in front of Daejeon City Hall. [Image source=TJB news footage capture]

An said, “On the 30th of last month, the 'Beauty Taxi' was forcibly suspended. It was an incomprehensible decision by a large corporation, but I had no choice but to comply. I had to prevent the difficulties faced by the company I belong to and the damage that fellow drivers would suffer,” and mentioned that he tried to look for other work. However, due to his daughter’s opposition, he continued his efforts to protect the 'Beauty Taxi.' He added, “My daughter said, ‘I can forgive the failure of the Beauty Taxi, but I cannot forgive cowardice. Worrying about the company and colleagues sounds like an excuse,’” and then began a one-person protest in front of Daejeon City Hall.

He said, “The mayor cannot immediately resolve something that a large corporation has deliberately pursued. I think that just gathering wisdom and making efforts has great meaning,” but added, “If given the opportunity for a meeting, I was going to kneel and appeal to the mayor. Unfortunately, my wish was dashed.” It was reported that Daejeon City responded to An by saying, “Matters related to contract regulations between companies are not subject to intervention by Daejeon City.”

In response, An said, “It was a notification more severe and frustrating than Kakao’s forced suspension order,” and pointed out, “There is administration for companies, but no administration for citizens.” He also emphasized, “As a member of the older generation, I am one of those who contributed to creating this reality,” and “It is hard to accept that daughters have to live in such a society going forward. Although I am stopping the one-person protest, I will continue to strive to be a father who is not cowardly.”

The Nation’s Only ‘Beauty Taxi’... Receiving Rewards and Punishments for the Same Service

The nation’s only “Beauty Taxi” is a vehicle operated by taxi driver An for over two years. He created the “Beauty Taxi” based on the thought that “taxi fares keep rising but the service remains unchanged” and his daughter’s remark that “I feel awkward when putting on makeup in a taxi because the driver watches.” Equipped with items such as a curling iron, hair ties, bobby pins, tail comb, stockings, foot covers, and artificial tears, it gained significant attention through social media (SNS).

However, it was reported that Kakao Mobility previously demanded that the Daejeon-area transportation company to which the “Beauty Taxi” belongs and An voluntarily remove the items inside the taxi, stating that it violated franchise operation regulations. Last year, the “Beauty Taxi” was selected as Kakao Mobility’s “Crew of the Month,” based on service and safe driving, but this time it received a notice of operation prohibition, citing “excessive service,” sparking controversy.

Regarding this, Kakao stated, “During the comprehensive inspection conducted in December last year, some items such as the curling iron were considered a safety risk, so we requested improvements,” and added, “Franchise taxis must provide uniform services, but since the ‘Beauty Taxi’ deviated from the set framework and received user complaints, we had no choice but to impose sanctions.”