A scene of the Japanese girl group "Cutie Street" being refused a taxi ride in the heart of Seoul was made public recently, stirring controversy.
On the 4th, JTBC's "Case Chief" featured a YouTube video of Cutie Street, who visited Korea for performances and content filming. The video showed the members trying to hail a taxi in Euljiro to travel to Seongsu-dong.
After a taxi stopped in front of the members and asked for their destination, the members replied, "Seongsu, we're going to Seongsu-dong." The driver then pulled away without any further explanation.
The "Case Chief" team noted that, amid the recent surge in foreign tourists visiting Korea thanks to the popularity of K-content, inconveniences experienced during travel have also continued steadily.
After the scene became known, online criticism mounted over the practice of refusing taxi rides. Comments online included, "Don't worry, taxi drivers refuse not only foreigners but also Koreans," "If they refuse a ride from Euljiro to Seongsu, how comfortable must that driver be," and "There are many good drivers, but there are more bad ones."