Travel agency officials who operated illegal taxis for foreign tourists have been referred to the prosecution.
On the 9th, the Seoul Mapo Police Station announced that they had sent a total of 63 people, including two travel agency representatives and 61 drivers, to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Passenger Transport Service Act.
According to the police, Mr. A, a representative in his 30s, is suspected of requesting Mr. B, another travel agency representative in his 40s, to provide airport pickup services to foreign tourists using private vehicles. Under the Passenger Transport Service Act, providing or mediating paid transportation services using private vehicles is strictly illegal.
Mr. B is accused of recruiting 61 private vehicle owners as drivers through social media (SNS) since April 2023 and mediating paid transportation services between airports and accommodations for foreign tourists 418 times. Among the 61 drivers, most were foreigners, including 53 Chinese nationals and 7 naturalized citizens.
Their crime was uncovered when Mr. C, a driver in his 30s, who was operating an illegal vehicle, collided with an excavator on Mapo-daero in Seoul in December 2023. As a result of the accident, one Filipino passenger died, and another passenger and the excavator operator sustained minor injuries. The police applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. C, but it was dismissed at the court stage.
A police official stated, "Illegal paid transportation using private vehicles often falls into a blind spot of management and supervision because they are not usually covered by commercial vehicle insurance," adding, "In the event of an accident, insurance coverage may be difficult to apply, and the affected passengers could suffer financial losses."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
