For South Korea’s struggling taxi drivers, ride-hailing app a matter of life and death
- 57-year-old taxi driver leaves note addressing politician and journalist after lighting himself on fire in protest of a new ride-hailing service
The South Korean taxi driver who died Monday after lighting himself on fire in front of the National Assembly in Seoul left a note addressed to a senior politician and prominent journalist.
The 57-year-old surnamed Choi, who self-immolated in protest of an Uber-like ride-hailing app, addressed the two-page note to Lee Hae-chan, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, and Sohn Suk-hee, a news anchor with broadcaster JTBC.
In the note, which was published by Korean media, Choi listed demands for how the government should respond to the upcoming launch of the app, which taxi drivers fear will decimate their already meagre earnings.
Among other demands, Choi asked that his body be placed outside the headquarters of the app’s creator, Kakao Mobility, until the government decided to ban the service.
Kakao expressed condolences over the death of Choi, who left behind a 1-year-old grandchild, but has not commented on whether it will delay the app’s launch.
“It’s sad and heartbreaking that something like this has happened,” said a spokesman. “We are mourning the death of a taxi driver who was burned to death in protest against the carpool service on Thursday.”
