Korean Job Discussion Forums

pangaea · Joined: 20 Dec 2007

I needed to go to Lotte Mart after work and took a taxi. I wanted to go to the one nearest my apartment and thought I had made that clear to the driver. Instead he started driving me to another one across town. After a few minutes, I realized what was up and told him again where I wanted to go. I was a little irritated because it was late and I was tired, but I decided not to worry about it. He realized his mistake and started tapping himself in the head like he was telling me he wasn't thinking. I felt a little bad for him at that point because it was just a mistake. Anyway, he took me back to the closer Lotte Mart, by that time a 5,000 won fare. When we got there, he refused to take any money at all from me, even when I told him it was ok and tried to pay him again. I knew it shouldn't cost me 5,000 won, but I was prepared to pay him. I would have tried to give him a few ones for his trouble but I only had a man won at the time.

I've been taken around in circles a few times by cab drivers who just wanted to up the fare, so having an honest driver who actually treated me with respect was refreshing. Now I feel bad that my driver didn't get anything for his time and I didn't even get his name...

Waluigi · Joined: 09 Apr 2009

I've had the same thing happen to me twice in the past couple of weeks. Most drivers in gwangju seem nice...there's only a couple of idiots about.

comm · Joined: 22 Jun 2010

Konglishman · Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Location: Nanjing

I have found nearly all Korean taxi drivers to be very nice.

However, there was one time when I was with a couple of foreign girls that I know. In that instance, my friends who knew a little bit of Korean said that the taxi driver thought that I was a pimp. Laughing

And he also got angry at my friends for talking. I tried to be nice using the little bit of Korean that I knew. Then, he started yelling at me, apparently, asking me why I didn't know more Korean.

But like I implied, that was the only time that I had ever had a problem with a taxi driver in Korea. The overwhelming majority of them are very nice although they can be a little reckless on the road.