Dozens Arrested Including Man in His 30s for Illegal Call Taxi Operations After Registering as Substitute Drivers

One Administrator Arrested, 38 Reporters Booked Without Detention

A group operating an illegal call taxi service in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, has been apprehended by the police.

The South Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency announced on the 4th that they had arrested a man in his 30s, identified as A, who ran the operation, on charges of violating the Passenger Transport Service Act, and booked 38 drivers without detention.

A is accused of registering as a substitute driver business in Dangjin and operating an illegal call taxi office for two years since October 2022. It was revealed that A operated the service at a rate 30% cheaper than regular call taxis and collected a brokerage fee of about 300,000 won per month from each driver.

According to the police investigation, A obtained approximately 110 million won in illicit gains, and some drivers were hired despite having a history of serious criminal offenses.

A police official stated, "Illegal paid transportation services are not eligible for insurance benefits in the event of a traffic accident, and there are no regulations in place when hiring drivers, which can lead to crime victimization," adding, "We will strictly crack down to prevent any innocent victims."