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"Thought I Went to North Korea Instead of the Airport"... Foreign Tourist's Shocking Experience in Korea

Published : Jul 2, 2026 10:17 AM

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"A 690,000 won taxi fare"—what is this story about?

[Anchor] Yes, a Taiwanese tourist, identified as A, shared an absurd experience they had on the final day of their trip to Korea on social media.

[Reporter] Tourist A, who called an Uber taxi in Gwangjin-gu, initially intended to go to Seoul Station but changed the destination to Incheon International Airport mid-trip.

The Uber app displayed an estimated fare of approximately 70,000 won, which was set to be automatically charged to the registered credit card.

However, an unexpected situation occurred after arriving at the airport.

The taxi driver called back tourist A, who was heading toward the arrival hall, and demanded a separate card payment using the vehicle's terminal.

Tourist A explained multiple times that the payment had already been made through the app, but the driver persisted. Pressed for time to catch their flight, the tourist had no choice but to pay with their card on the spot.

After completing check-in, the tourist checked the payment details and discovered that 698,000 won—nearly ten times the normal fare—had been charged.

Unfamiliar with the Korean currency unit, tourist A could not hide their bewilderment, remarking that the fare was enough to have traveled from South Korea all the way to North Korea.

After returning home, tourist A filed a dispute for the overseas transaction with their credit card company. The platform also confirmed that a double payment had occurred after verifying the facts with the driver and stated that they would proceed with the refund process.

(Source: Online Community)