Korean Job Discussion Forums

agraham · Joined: 19 Aug 2004 Location: Daegu, Korea

When I was in London, there was a fax posted on the hostel's info board. The previous year 140 people had been raped by minicab drivers, most of whom were unlicenced.
Cab drivers are cab drivers wherever you go.
The London police suggested only taking a taxi that you ordered by phone. When the driver picks you up don't get in until they tell you who ordered them. They will be a lot less likely to pull anything if the call is on paper with the dispatcher.

kangnam mafioso · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Teheranno

remember -- When in Rome ...

Korean women are not overtly assertive -- you should also try to keep a low profile. This applies to Western men as well who are likely to offend by being too loud, obnoxious, asserive etc.

Get used to the cigarette smoke .. it's everywhere and I don't think it's going to change any time soon. If you don't like it -- go to New York.

Tiberious aka Sparkles · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: I'm one cool cat!

Why don't you just take the bus?

Sparkles*_*

Ilsanman · Joined: 15 Aug 2003 Location: Bucheon, Korea

While waiting for an airport bus in Itaewon, a taxi driver offered to take me to Incheon airport for 12,000 won.

Using the old rule of thumb 'if it's too good to be true........." I refused. He was a little too anxious, and I couldn't see his motive. Not worth risking.

simone · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: Now Mostly @ Home

I reported a cab driver who was rude and drove dangerously - cutting people off, running a red and so on.

I got the code from the dashboard, the licence plate, and a description of the guy. Recorded it into my mp3 player, faster than writing it down.

The great folks at the KNTO helped with the reporting process, and the guy was fined 300,000 won and had to go to traffic politeness school (that's what the KNTO called it, anyway.)

I'd also suggest taking photos of the driver and his card and licence plate with your camera phone, if you have one. Of course, you might piss the driver off because he'll know exactly why you're doing it.

Once I felt I was being taken for a ride (8000 won versus the 3000 it usually cost) and I started writing down his info. He freaked and we settled for 4000.

If you're well-dressed, and look like you could be embassy staff, or a businessperson, then they treat you well. If you look like a backpacker, they're unlikely to worry about you.

But Taxis in Korea ROCK! Here in Montreal they're 4x the price.

Simone

tommynomad · Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Location: on the move

simone advice is spot-on: employ the technology!

The hitch-kiking movement has undergone a significant shift towards safety with the improvement of cellphone technology. Now people get pictures of licence plate and driver before they get in, and immediately upload them (in full view of the driver) to the 'net.
No reason not to do the same with every cab you get into, anywhere.

Tiberious aka Sparkles · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: I'm one cool cat!

fidel · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Location: North Shore NZ

Most independant taxi drivers work in partnership with 12 hours on and 12 hours off rule. I doubt many drive 24 hours straight. I don't catch taxi's often as I have a car and wouldn't put my families lives in the hands of a Korean taxi driver. However on the odd occasion when I've been in a taxi I've had few problems.

One driver a few weeks ago took us to a used car sales lot and spent an hour with us bargining with the dealers. He really got them angry but we go a trade in at cost and saved about 600,000. He left his meter running and it cost us an additional 10,000. He was a really nice guy.

A few times I have lost my temper and shouted expletives to drivers to slow the X&^! down and to obey the rules. It seemed to work and in a couple of hair raising incidences I've left the cab at the lights and thrown a few bucks in thie faces. They shout but who gives a toss. They endangered my life I'm not going to reward them with a full fare.

I suggest that you buy a car. Life is immensely better. You regain some of that anonymity that you lost by being in public view all the time and you get to see and experience a lot more than if you have to rely on public transportation.

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

NearlyKorean · Joined: 15 Mar 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ

kangnam mafioso · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Teheranno

I lived in Seoul two years and took taxis almost everyday. Aside from the occassional exhorbitant fare and speed demon drivers, I never had a problem. In fact, I give the Korean drivers a lot of credit. I did things in Korean taxis that would have never been accepted in the states like drinking beers and smoking on 45 minute rides back from Hongdae. Once, my girlfriend puked all over the back seat and the driver only charged us 10,000 won extra.

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

One time I was talking to this cab driver and it was turning into one of those wierd but typical conversations that korean guys have with white guys:

do you get a lot of girls?

what about korean girls?

so i gave him my standard answers (i.e. stuff I think he wants to hear because he could take the car off a bridge if he really wanted to) :

no, girls don't like me.

yes, korean girls are so beautiful.

no, they don't like me either.

yes, they are prettier than japanese girls

and then he shows me his daughter's picture on his cellphone and i keep up the pat responses (wow, she's really pretty) but then he tells me he'd like for his daughter to date a foreigner. this gets my attention. and then he really suprises me by asking for my phone number so he can set my up with his daughter! and i'm starting to think:

is this guy for real?

it's 2 AM and i'm obviously drunk.

it's tuesday.

and he wants me to date his daughter.

lemme take another look at that picture.

using my keen powers of intuition, i figured he probably wasn't going to post my number up on a gay message board, and I gave it to him. while its doubtful that some girl would want to date some guy her dad picked up in a cab, i decided it was worth the minmal effort and risk. so, to make this long story short:

I never did get a call from his daughter

you can meet some wonderful people on gay korean messsage boards

thorin · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

Korea has the most honest taxi drivers I've ever encountered. How many of you have handed a driver a 5 in the dark thinking it's a 1 only to have them point out your mistake. Where else would that happen?

skookum · Joined: 11 Mar 2005

I have TWICE been given a "tip" by a taxi driver, both of them in Jeonju. I gave the driver the fare he requested, and he gave me some money back....

I've had no trouble except that sometimes they don't follow directions well, even printed ones

Hyalucent · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: British North America

Hit and miss for me. I've had taxi drivers start driving way out of the way on purpose (I asked one to take me to the bus station in Changwon and he tried to take me to the one in Masan once and a few other similar cases). But by and by, on some of my grumpier days there were many times I got into a cab with a friendly old ajoshi who's friendliness completely changed the way I'd face my work day.

My main complaint would be outside the cab... the ones who refuse to pick you up and drive on by until they spot the nearest Korean... or barring that slow down, then drive off altogether.