In South Korea on Monday a taxi driver in Seoul burned himself in protest against a new car dealer. According to police and Yonhap news agency, 57-year-old Choi was sitting in his car as he doused and lit gas.
He was taken to hospital with severe burns, where he died a few hours later.
Choi protested against a service similar to the US provider Uber, which is scheduled to launch next week. The ride-in system is to be introduced by the country’s largest messaging app, KakaoTalk. More than 80 percent of South Koreans use this app.
In recent months, there have been repeated protests from thousands of taxi drivers in Seoul against the new service. They fear for their livelihood. In other countries, US service via established taxi companies is also a thorn in the side.
