Under the law, a taxi driver caught overcharging foreign passengers three times is banned. / Korea Times file

By Lee Han-soo

A taxi driver has lost his license for habitually overcharging foreign passengers. The cabbie will be unable to regain the license for a year.

He was the first South Korean taxi driver to have his license revoked in violation of the "three-strikes-out" rule adopted in February. Under the law, a taxi driver caught overcharging foreign passengers three times is banned.

According to Seoul City, the driver took three Chinese women from Myeongdong to Apgujeong in Seoul in May. He charged them 30,000 won, although 10,000 won is the right fare. The passengers reported the case to Seoul City, which is responsible for punishing overcharging taxi drivers. It was found that the driver was punished twice last year for overcharging.

Taxi fare rip-offs have been a long-running problem in South Korea.

They ranked second to shopping in 2014-16 foreign tourist complaints, according to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

The KTO said it receives over 113 reports a month about taxi fares.

"The enforcement of the three-strikes-out rule will serve as a warning to taxi drivers," a Seoul official said. "We will do our best to prevent foreigners from losing trust in Seoul."