In South Korea, a citizen of Uzbekistan is suspected of beating a taxi driver over illegal passenger transport

Conflict at a taxi stand

In the city of Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, a 30-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan is suspected of beating a 50-year-old taxi driver. The incident occurred when the driver tried to prevent an unlicensed paid passenger transport operation, Zamon.uz reports, citing local police data.

Course of the incident

According to police, the incident took place on October 18 at around 02:00 at night in the Hyangnam area of Hwaseong. The driver saw a man who was about to pick up foreign passengers in his personal car near a taxi stand. He tried to stop the man, filmed what was happening on his phone and intended to report it to the police. At that moment, the man punched the driver in the jaw. The taxi driver fell and briefly lost consciousness, and, according to police, the suspect continued punching and kicking him even after he fell. After coming to, the driver reported the incident to the police via the taxi's radio; according to him, after the incident he was unable to return to work.

Investigation

On October 22, police identified the suspect using footage from surveillance cameras in the taxi and from nearby cameras. Law enforcement plans to question him and check whether he was engaged in unlicensed passenger transport. Depending on the severity of the victim's injuries, the charges may be revised to an offense related to inflicting bodily harm.

Context of the problem

In the Hyangnam, Baran and Namyang areas of Hwaseong, where many foreign workers live, paid passenger transport in personal cars has long been a problem. According to reports, some drivers pick up customers waiting at taxi stands, taking them away from licensed taxis. In May, the police of southern Gyeonggi Province identified 29 foreigners who were earning from 100,000 to 150,000 won per day in the Hwaseong area from illegal transport; some of them did not have driver's licenses.

Significance of the event

The incident affects both licensed taxi drivers and the large community of foreign workers in Hwaseong: it shows that the conflict over illegal transport is escalating into violence, and the police, as suggested by the May data on 29 identified drivers, are already working on this problem in a targeted manner. For citizens of Uzbekistan in the region, the practical consequence is increased checks on illegal transport and possible harsher charges in such cases. The final classification of the suspect's actions remains unknown and depends on the results of the questioning and the assessment of the victim's injuries.