Seoul Taxi Overcharging 2026: How to Report It (1330) and Why the 500,000 Won Reward Has Never Been Paid

Bottom line: If you think a Seoul taxi overcharged you, grab the receipt or a screenshot of the payment, note the pickup/drop-off time and the plate number. Then call 1330 (dial +82-2-1330 from outside Korea) or scan the QR code posted inside the cab. Don't count on compensation, though — fewer than 3 in 100 reports end in an actual penalty against the driver, and no one has ever actually received the cash reward the city advertises.

If you didn't know: Foreign-tourist complaints already topped 1,753 cases in the first seven months of this year, more than all of last year (1,744), and foreigners made up 84.3% of them. Looking at Seoul taxis alone, 6,481 overcharging reports were filed between 2021 and August this year, but only 204 (3.1%) led to any penalty — just 28 licenses were suspended or revoked, and 176 drivers got off with a warning. In June, a tourist posted on social media that an Uber taxi from Jayang-dong to Incheon Airport Terminal 2 charged a total of 690,800 won including a 66,000-won toll — the normal fare for that route, toll included, runs around 70,000 won, meaning roughly 620,000 won extra.

Journey stage: During the trip · Verified 2026-11-08