Jeju Police Issue Urgent Statement as 'Taxi Kidnapping' Rumors Spread Online

As anxiety grows following a YouTuber's claim about an acquaintance's experience—stating, "I took a taxi in Jeju at dawn and woke up in a reed field"—the Jeju Provincial Police Agency has issued an urgent explanatory statement to correct the facts.

Five days ago, a video titled "The Real Jeju Security, According to a Jeju Resident" was uploaded to a YouTube channel with around 70,000 subscribers.

In the video, the YouTuber claimed, "An acquaintance took a taxi at dawn and fell asleep, only to wake up later and find themselves in a reed field. The taxi driver was outside talking to someone on the phone, so the passenger managed to escape and reported it to the police."

However, after conducting a full investigation of 112 emergency call records and the Criminal Justice Information System, the police confirmed that not a single case or report matching these details existed.

The YouTuber also pointed out security issues in the Jeju region by mentioning other incidents, such as a woman being threatened with a smartphone charging cable in a public restroom near Jeju City Hall and a jewelry store theft committed by Chinese nationals.

Upon police verification, however, it was revealed that the public restroom incident was an old case that occurred 10 years ago in 2016, and the jewelry store theft took place in May 2024.

According to the police, the specific dates and detailed contexts of these incidents were omitted, distorting them as if they had happened recently, which heightened anxiety among local residents and tourists.

Following the recent controversy over the "false closure" of a missing Jeju police officer case, unfounded rumors and ghost stories regarding public security in Jeju have continued to circulate online.

The police stepping up to directly verify and refute these rumors is seen as a measure to prevent the indiscriminate spread of fear.

The police stated, "To prevent unverified crime-related content from spreading as if it were true, we will continue to provide accurate information moving forward."

(Produced by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Kim Min-ji | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.