Wonju City Achieves First Results in Individual Taxi License Transfer Support... Five Accident-Free Drivers Selected

Wonju City in Gangwon Province has selected the first recipients of its "Individual Taxi License Transfer Loan Support Program," a long-awaited initiative for taxi drivers, and has officially begun providing support.

A panoramic view of Wonju City Hall. Provided by Wonju City.

On December 22, at the mayor's office, the city invited five beneficiaries of this new program, launched this year, to congratulate and encourage them.

This program was newly implemented this year to address the limited supply of new individual taxi licenses caused by the taxi quota system. From 2025, over the next four years, Wonju City plans to select 20 taxi drivers who have operated regular taxis within the city for more than 10 years without any accidents, and provide them with loans of up to 120 million won each, along with a 3% annual interest subsidy for five years. To facilitate this, the city signed a business agreement in June with the Gangwon Credit Guarantee Foundation, NH Nonghyup Bank Wonju Branch, and the Wonju Individual Taxi Association.

After recruiting applicants, selecting the first group of candidates, and completing the approval process for taxi license transfers, the city finalized five individuals who passed the guarantee and loan screening by the partner institutions as this year’s recipients.

The selected taxi drivers are expected to acquire individual taxi licenses and establish a more stable business environment. This is also anticipated to contribute to an overall improvement in service quality within the taxi industry.

Won Kangsu, Mayor of Wonju, stated, "This program is an important first step to alleviate the financial burden on regular taxi drivers and facilitate the transfer of individual taxi licenses. I would like to thank all the drivers who have provided taxi services without any accidents."

He added, "I hope you will continue to do your best so that citizens can use taxis more comfortably in the future."

Meanwhile, Wonju City has completed the application process to select five recipients for next year's loan support program and plans to announce the selected candidates within this month.