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Seoul panel rejects fine over refunded airport taxi overcharge

The review committee opted for a caution, citing the driver's same-day refund request and lack of previous overcharging complaints.

Channel: YTN ·

South KoreaStory of November 11, 2026Trari Newsroom

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인천공항 69만 원 택시비, 과태료 여부 최종 결론 [여기잇슈] / YTN

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:26The driver says a destination change disrupted Uber's automatic payment during the airport journey.
1:03He attributes the excessive charge to accidentally entering an extra zero while flustered.
2:07Payment receipts show the morning charge and an afternoon refund request; the report says the money was returned.
3:36The final decision is a caution rather than a fine, despite the city department recommending a financial penalty.
4:08The committee cites the same-day refund request and no previous overcharging complaints; Uber leaves payment questions unanswered.

Seoul officials sought a fine over a Taiwanese tourist's inflated airport taxi bill, but the committee deciding the case concluded that a caution was enough.

South Korea's YTN (Yonhap Television News) reports that the final decision, issued last month, followed a dispute over a charge of 690,800 won for a journey from Gwangjin-gu in Seoul to Incheon Airport. The tourist's account had circulated on social media, prompting scrutiny of whether the driver had deliberately overcharged.

In an interview filmed from behind, the driver gives a different explanation. He says the passenger changed the destination during the journey, disrupting Uber's automatic payment. Believing the passenger might leave without paying, he became flustered and entered an extra zero while processing a separate payment. He says he did not notice the mistake at the time and acknowledges that he owed the passenger an apology.

The report examines receipts showing the charge was made in the morning and that the driver requested a refund through payment provider T-money that afternoon. It says the money was ultimately returned.

The city department handling the complaint recommended a fine because the amount was substantial and deliberate overcharging could not be ruled out, according to the report. The external review committee disagreed, citing the same-day refund request and the absence of previous overcharging complaints against the driver.

The distinction matters: the caution he received is a lighter measure outside the formal administrative sanctions described in the report. Those begin with a warning and can escalate to a fine, suspension or cancellation of a driver's qualification.

The driver welcomed the outcome. Uber did not answer the broadcaster's questions about the payment problem.

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