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| A protester holds a sign saying "Secure passenger safety" during a taxi strike in Gwanghwamun Square in the heart of Seoul, Thursday. Around 50,000 taxis halted operation in Seoul for 24 hours, which ended 4 a.m. Friday. Yonhap |
By Kim Hyun-bin
Tens of thousands of taxi drivers took part in a strike Thursday, protesting Kakao Mobility's planned launch of a ride-sharing app.
Taxi drivers claim the mobile app connecting drivers and passengers during the rush hour commute will kill the taxi industry and threaten their livelihood.
Out of the 100,000 taxis operating in Seoul, around 60,000 took part in the strike, which was held for 24 hours starting 4 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Korean Taxi Workers' Union.
Incheon and the Gyeonggi Province area which operate 30,000 taxis had a 90 percent participation rate, the union added.
"Most of the drivers barely make ends meet and they also need to pay money to their companies, so many have no choice but to keep operating," a union official said.
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The strike was expected to cause traffic chaos in the capital. However, many people in Seoul said there had been limited impact, although some commuters had difficulties catching a taxi in the morning.
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"Late for work, riding the bus as there are no taxis around," a person wrote on social media.
"Normally there are one or two taxis on standby here but there are fewer taxis due to the strike," said Kim, a Seoul resident in her 60s.
Some people were not aware a strike was in progress as it was fairly easy to catch a cab through the Kakao T Taxi app, which connects taxis to customers nearby.
"I called a cab through Kakao Taxi and one came right away, so I wasn't aware a strike was happening. It was not inconvenient for me," said Baek Seong-hoon, Seoul resident in his 30s.
Some also welcomed the strike as there was less traffic than usual.
"There were noticeably fewer cars; it's been a while since rush hour traffic was orderly," one person wrote on their social media.
"It usually takes me 45 minutes to get to work but took only 30 minutes today," another said.
The nation's major taxi associations have agreed to halt operation during the strike and many private and corporate taxis have taken part in the assembly that was held at Gwanghwamun Square from 2 p.m to 4 p.m. Thursday.
Despite the strong protest from taxi operators, Kakao Mobility plans to push ahead with its ride-sharing business.
Kakao released a statement on Tuesday that it is recruiting drivers for Kakao T Carpool. However, it failed to mention when the service will go into effect.
Kakao says the ride-sharing service will only be used during morning and evening rush hour times as there have been mounting complaints from the public over the lack of available taxis during peak hours.
The app launch date has been delayed indefinitely as Kakao Mobility has been waiting for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport to announce its new car-sharing policy.
Uber launched a lift service in 2013, but was suspended after meeting strong protest by city officials and taxi drivers.
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