Home > National > Social Affairs

Taxi overcharging after K-pop concerts ends night on sour note for some visitors

Published: 27 Jan. 2026, 13:59 Updated: 27 Jan. 2026, 14:49

A taxi is parked near Inspire Arena in Incheon on Jan. 23. [CHOI MO-RAN]

Concertgoers come for the music but leave frustrated, as taxi drivers overcharging foreign tourists near concert venues and airports continue to tarnish Korea’s image.

On Friday evening around 9:20 p.m., fans began streaming out of Inspire Arena in Incheon, after a performance by K-pop stars. Snow that fell throughout the concert blanketed the area in front of the venue, where cars waiting for family members and taxis lined the roadside.

A foreigner approached a waiting taxi and asked whether it would go to Incheon Airport Terminal 2 Station. The driver replied that they would need to charge “at least 50,000 won ($35) because of the snow.”

Inspire Arena sits about 3.8 kilometers (2.3 miles) in a straight line from the Airport Railroad’s Incheon Airport Terminal 2 Station, and a metered fare for the trip typically costs around 10,000 won. The foreigner turned away and walked toward another taxi.

A taxi driver exits their vehicle in Seoul on Jan. 26. [YONHAP]

“I once paid 150,000 won for a taxi ride from Goyang to Seoul after attending a concert,” a fan from China said. “The concert was fun and the venue was great, but the taxis were terrible.”

Local governments have struggled to curb such practices, particularly in areas popular with foreign tourists. In Incheon, complaints have concentrated around Incheon Airport and Inspire Arena.

The city received 360 taxi-related complaints last year involving the airport and the arena. Many of those complaints, however, involved taxis registered outside Incheon.

Joint taxi service zone complicates enforcement

Incheon Airport and the surrounding area, including Inspire Arena, operate as a taxi joint service zone, which allows taxis registered in Seoul and parts of Gyeonggi — including Goyang, Gimpo, Bucheon and Gwangmyeong — to pick up passengers alongside Incheon taxis. Many of the taxis lining the area carry Seoul and Gyeonggi license plates.

“Many passengers remain unaware of the joint service zone arrangement, which leads to misplaced criticism of Incheon taxis when disputes arise,” a representative from a union of Incheon taxi drivers said. “The association proposed shrinking the joint service zone to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last July.”

Illegal transport services also operate near the airport and concert venues.

So-called “black cars,” typically vans or minibuses, recruit group passengers through Chinese websites and social media and operate without commercial insurance. Passengers cannot receive compensation if accidents occur.

From February through October last year, the Incheon Metropolitan Police arrested 466 people for unregistered passenger transport in areas including Incheon International Airport.

The Incheon government has sent cooperation letters to Seoul and Gyeonggi and notified local taxi associations to help curb illegal practices.

Officials also installed banners in Korean and English near Inspire Arena reading, “Please report any damage caused by illegal taxis.”

A banner that Incheon Metropolitan City installed to eradicate illegal taxi practices [INCHEON METROPOLITAN CITY]

The city even shared a video on its official YouTube channel explaining common illegal taxi practices and how to report them. The video has recorded only 58,000 views so far.

“Large-scale enforcement efforts in June and July, along with continued coordination with neighboring governments, significantly reduced reports of taxi-related violations,” an Incheon city representative said.

Seoul expands reporting systems and fare transparency

The illegal taxi operations extend beyond Incheon. Seoul operated a taxi QR reporting system from June through December last year that allows passengers to submit feedback by scanning QR codes inside taxis. The city received 487 reports from foreign passengers, most of which involved “unfair fares.”

Seoul confirmed fare violations in eight cases and imposed administrative penalties.

From last December, the city began printing fare breakdowns in English on taxi receipts, including information on surcharges, pickup and drop-off times, and whether late-night rates applied.

The taxi receipt on the right provides fare details in English. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Seoul also revised taxi-hailing apps to display estimated fares in advance, listing base fares separately from toll charges so passengers can check whether the final amount is accurate.

“The city will continue to encourage reporting by foreign passengers and impose stricter penalties on drivers found to have violated fare regulations,” a Seoul city representative said.

Experts warn that repeated encounters with fare abuses can shape visitors’ overall perception of the country.

“Taxis and other forms of public transportation often provide visitors with their first impression of a destination,” said Lee Hoon, a professor of tourism at Hanyang University. “Local governments should intensify enforcement against illegal operations and provide clearer advance fare guidance at locations frequently visited by foreign tourists.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MO-RAN [[email protected]]