Japanese Passenger in South Korea Refuses to Pay Taxi Fare and Assaults Driver
Korean media outlet JoongAng Ilbo (Japanese edition) reported: A 50-something taxi driver in Seoul’s Myeongdong area was assaulted by a Japanese passenger this month.
According to JTBC's program "Incident Commander," the taxi driver picked up a man and a woman at Seokbong District’s Sichon Lake on the evening of the 5th.
The passengers, who had ordered the taxi via Uber, set the exit 3 of Myeongdong Station as their destination. However, upon arriving at Myeongdong Station, the man claimed: “This isn’t our destination.”
When the man got out of the taxi, he refused to pay the fare of 19,100 KRW (approximately 2,000 JPY / 86 CNY).
As the driver got down to collect the fare, the Japanese man shouted at him, calling him a “fool.” The driver grabbed the man’s jacket, prompting the man to kick the driver and claim that his clothing was branded.
Subsequently, the man grabbed the strap of the woman’s bag, kicked the driver, and slapped him repeatedly while shouting “Hermès!” and using Japanese insults toward the driver.
A passing citizen witnessed the incident and called the police. However, when questioned by officers, the Japanese man stated: “In Japan, if you don’t reach your destination, you don’t have to pay.”
When the police responded: “This is South Korea—laws here must be followed,” the man retorted: “I’m Japanese, so I follow Japanese law.” He then pulled out 20,000 KRW from his wallet and threw it directly onto the driver’s face.
The driver plans to sue the Japanese man and has declined to accept the money thrown at him. Nevertheless, the Japanese man left South Korea early the next morning.
The police stated they intend to continue investigating the individual.
The driver said: “I hope this man never sets foot on Korean soil again.”
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862866596290570/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.