South Korean taxi drivers from across the country hold a rally against the carpooling service of Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's No. 1 mobile messenger, KakaoTalk, at Gwangwhamun Square in downtown Seoul on October 18. File Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- South Korean taxi drivers announced they will hold strikes nationwide Thursday to protest a new carpool service.

Members of the nation's major taxi unions will hold a demonstration in front of the National Assembly hall on Thursday in Seoul to oppose the new ride-sharing service launched by Kakao Corp., one of South Korea's largest Internet companies, according to South Korea media reports.


"Taxis won't operate across the country, including Jeju Island," Kang Shin-pyo, head of a taxi union association, said at a news conference Wednesday.

Last week, taxi organizations announced a plan to hold a protest, a day after a Seoul taxi driver set himself on fire near the National Assembly hall to protest the new ride-sharing service.

He left a note, saying drivers should "fight to the end" to stop the service. The man died at a hospital.

Taxi unions expect more than 100,000 taxi drivers to participate in Thursday's protest. Some 70,000 gathered in the first protest in October and more than 40,000 to the second one, Yonhap News reported.