Korea Taxi Overcharge 2026: How to Report It and Claim Up to ₩500,000 Compensation

Bottom line: If a taxi driver in Korea overcharges you, don't let it go — scan the QR code posted inside the taxi or at Gimpo and Incheon airports, or call the Dasan Call Center (120) or the Korea Travel Hotline (1330, multilingual). According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, a complaint that leads to administrative action lets foreign visitors apply for compensation of up to 500,000 won per case.

If you didn't know: Letting it slide means that money is simply gone. Between 2021 and August 2026, Seoul received 6,481 overcharging complaints from foreign visitors, but only 204 — just 3.1% — resulted in administrative action (28 license suspensions or revocations, 176 warnings). Most of the rest were closed internally for lack of evidence such as receipts or photos. And since the compensation program began in 2013, not a single payout of the full 500,000 won has ever been made — lawmakers say too few people know how to apply.

Seoul has worked with taxi payment terminal operators since last year to print the final fare, pickup and drop-off times, and any late-night or out-of-zone surcharge in English on receipts. Even so, violations keep surfacing — in one case, a driver charged 56,000 won for a ride from Gimpo Airport to Yeonhui-dong that should have cost 32,600 won on the meter, caught through a QR complaint and punished accordingly. When you report an issue, it helps to keep a photo of the license plate along with your receipt and card statement — many complaints are closed internally simply because there isn't enough evidence.

Journey stage: During the trip · Verified Oct. 18, 2026 · Source: The Korea Times, citing data from Rep. Mo Kyung-jong's office and the Seoul Metropolitan Government