Seoul recorded 6,481 complaints from foreign passengers about taxi overcharging between 2021 and August 2026. Democratic Party lawmaker Mo Gyeong-jong released the figures, which the Seoul Metropolitan Government had supplied, on 18 October 2026. Of the 6,481, 204 led to an administrative measure. That is 3.1 per cent.
What the 204 measures were
Warnings accounted for 176 of the 204. Suspensions of the qualification to drive a taxi accounted for 26. Revocations of that qualification accounted for two. A further 1,865 complaints ended in a caution or in guidance. Those steps have no legal consequence. Seoul closed 4,368 complaints, 67.4 per cent of the total, with no administrative measure. Forty-four complaints were still under investigation.
Why most complaints were closed
Of the 4,368 closures, 3,253 were marked "other". The city said that heading covers a case where it is difficult to decide whether the driver broke the rules, or where the inquiry cannot continue. The share of all foreign-passenger complaints closed under "other" was 38.8 per cent in 2023, 56.2 per cent in 2025, and 60.7 per cent from January to August 2026. Complainants withdrew 762 reports. A further 271 were classed as mistaken reports, and 82 did not meet the requirements for a case.
Seoul has said an inquiry is hard to finish when the foreign complainant has left the country and cannot be contacted. The city has also said it has sometimes chosen a caution, guidance or training where the driver had no earlier breach, because an administrative penalty can affect the driver's livelihood.
Passengers can complain through Seoul's Dasan call centre, and through QR codes placed in taxis and at Gimpo and Incheon airports.
The scale from 4 September
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport ordinance No. 1620 revised the Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Development of Taxi Transportation Business. It came into force on 4 September 2026, the day it was promulgated. The revision raises the sanction for taking an unjust fare from a foreign passenger. A first breach had drawn a warning, a second a 30-day suspension, and a third or further breach revocation of the qualification. A first breach now draws a 30-day suspension, a second a 60-day suspension, and a third or further breach revocation.
The ordinance adds that where the unjust fare comes from a meter fault or error, and the driver is not to blame, the case is excluded from a penalty. A disposition already given for a breach before 4 September still counts when breaches are added up under the new scale. The scale is set out in the revision reason. The meter exclusion and the counting rule are in the promulgation text.
The 500,000 won reward
Seoul can pay 500,000 won where a report of overcharging a foreign passenger leads to an administrative measure. The Korea Herald put that sum at $374. The city figures record no application and no payment between 2021 and August 2026. Mr Mo put that down to too little publicity, and to the lack of a clear route for a tourist who wants to claim the reward after leaving Korea.
What Mo Gyeong-jong said
Mr Mo said that so few cases ending in a formal measure risks damaging the reputation of taxi drivers who provide an honest service.
He said: "Now that the government has raised the penalty standards, the remaining task is to ensure that complaints backed by clear evidence lead to actual penalties."
He said: "Procedures must protect both complainants and drivers so that the majority of taxi drivers who work honestly are not unfairly viewed with suspicion."
Korea Herald reported the figures on 18 October 2026. Yonhap News Agency reported the same Seoul totals.