Image credit – Uber
The concept and idea behind Uber makes great sense and it is also fantastic as far as the end-user is concerned. However as far as regulators and competitors are concerned, many don’t seem to be too pleased with Uber’s tactics and how they skirt around laws and regulations through various loopholes.
This is why we have seen Uber land themselves in quite a bit of trouble in the various markets that they operate in, and how they have faced quite a bit of resistance (sometimes violent) from taxi unions. Unfortunately it seems that the company’s legal troubles haven’t died down and over in South Korea, Uber has landed themselves in some legal trouble.
A South Korean court has recently ruled that Uber had illegally used private vehicles for commercial purposes. The company has since “admitted and repented” its illegal act and has accepted its fine of 10 million won ($8,863). They have also issued a statement which reads, “Uber respects the court’s decision and we are looking forward to strengthening our partnership with the government and serving riders, drivers and cities in Korea.”
Note that this only affected its UberX service and not UberBLACK or uberASSIST as those services do not use private vehicles (at least in South Korea).