.jpg) The first Korean car called “Sibal.” |
The War of the Pacific dealt a heavy blow to Korean transportation. Most of the 10,000-odd cars in Korea by 1940 were confiscated for use by the Japanese Imperial Army or became unroadworthy on account of the shortage of spare parts. Public transportation ceased to exist, indeed only 10 buses operated in the entire Seoul area during the first months of independence.
However, the late 1940s was a period of recovery, and this recovery was led by the taxi services. It was understandable: taxicabs were much cheaper than buses or trams, so a businessman could start a taxi company with a relatively small amount of capital, and in 1946-1950 many entrepreneurial Koreans did just that.
The U.S. military presence also proved instrumental. The U.S. Army was writing off lots of used vehicles, no longer necessary after the end of the hostilities. Not suitable for the Army they still were in good shape and could be used as taxis.
Koreans were buying these cars at huge discounts. Most of these vehicles were, of course, Jeeps _ not exactly an embodiment of a passenger’s comfort, but rather a tough and reliable mode of transportation. The generous supply of the used (and, thus, cheap) American military vehicles turned the Jeeps into a ubiquitous feature on Korean roads. In 1955 the Jeeps accounted for 32.3 percent of all cars registered in Seoul (2,070 out of 6,435). These small troop carriers were used as private vehicles by affluent Koreans, as cars of officials, and of course as taxis.
Thus, by the late 1940s there were 949 taxicabs in Seoul and less than 150 in the rest of the country _ largely in Busan. In those days a driver-owner was an unthinkable concept: even a used American Jeep was well beyond the reach of the overwhelming majority, and if someone could afford a car, he would definitely be able to hire a driver.
As early as 1936, taximeters became obligatory in Seoul. However, in the late 1940s this regulation was frequently ignored: it was impossible to provide meters for all the cabs. Only in 1961 was this regulation re-introduced, and from January 1962 all taxicabs in Seoul have been required to use meters.
As early as 1947, the authorities introduced the system of dual pay, which is still in operation now _ a basic fare for an initial short distance plus a rate for travel in excess of this distance. In April 1949 the basic distance was fixed at 2 kilometers. It is still the case today, 56 years later.
The Korean War nearly wiped out the taxi services. The taxicabs were confiscated for military use by both the South and North Korean armies, and the drivers also often joined the fighting (voluntarily or otherwise). However, after the war the taxi service once again was very fast to revive, and by 1955 the number of taxicabs in Seoul exceeded the prewar level.
The year 1955 was remarkable in another regard as well _ that year a small workshop in Seoul produced the first Korean cars which were given the proud name of Sibal, or ``Beginning’’. As one might expect, these were the locally assembled Jeeps. Many of them were used by the taxi service. The special emphasis on locally produced cars became a tradition of the Korean taxi service.
Despite the general poverty, the taxi service grew very fast. By 1960 there were 2,909 cabs in the city. It meant that roughly half of all passenger cars in Seoul were used by the taxi services.
In 1965 the driver-owned taxis made their debut. The requirements were very strict _ the aspiring driver-owner had to have at least 15 years of driving experience.
Even a single accident caused by the driver during those years ruled him ineligible for the license. With such restrictions it is not surprising that there were few successful applicants.
Only in July 1967 was the first driver-owner license issued to Pak Chin-su. However, the period of required experience in driving was soon shortened to 5 years, and the number of driver-owners began to grow (these days driver-owned taxicabs far outnumber the cabs operated by the companies).
Until the early 1980s a car was seen as a luxury item in Korea. Nonetheless, by the late 1960s Seoul already suffered from traffic jams. This might sound strange, but this was the result of bad traffic management.
Kim Hyon-ok, the then energetic mayor of Seoul, started a large program of reconstruction. It envisioned the building of elevated roads and tunnels, as well as a dramatic upgrade of public transport, including the taxi services. Actually, his reforms created the public transportation system as we know it now.
Prof. Andrei Lankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and now teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul.
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