South Korea Indicts Uber CEO

Travis Kalanick's charges could result in 2-year jail sentence
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 24, 2014 10:27 AM CST
South Korea Indicts Uber CEO
In this April 29, 2014 file photo, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick arrives at the 2014 TIME 100 Gala in New York.   (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Uber's legal troubles continue, and this time, the CEO himself is in hot water, Engadget reports. South Korea has indicted Travis Kalanick for allegedly running an illegal taxi service, Yonhap reports, and his charge could lead to a two-year jail sentence or an $18,000 fine. Along with the head of a partner car service, Kalanick has been charged with illegally using rental cars as taxis, Bloomberg reports. Uber says it will cooperate with the investigation, but it will continue operating.

"We firmly believe that our service, which connects drivers and riders via an application, is not only legal in Korea, but that it is being welcomed and supported by consumers," the company says. South Korea won't make arrests in the case, NBC News notes. The indictment follows a complaint by Seoul city officials last year. The city last week voted to fine drivers who aren't licensed to drive taxis and to reward people who report illegal Uber activity with almost $1,000. Meanwhile, Chongqing, the biggest municipality in China, has vowed to "strike harder" against transportation services like Uber, Bloomberg notes; Taiwan is also investigating the company, Fortune reports. (More Uber stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X