Uber CEO to stand trial in S. Korea over illicit taxi service charges

SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) -- The CEO of app-based ride-sharing service provider Uber, Travis Cordell Kalanick, will appear at a Seoul court this week, one and a half years after he was indicted over operating an illegal taxi service here, informed sources said Tuesday. The American entrepreneur is scheduled to stand trial at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday to refute the charges himself, they said. In December 2014, he was indicted on charges of violating the Passenger Transport Service Act. Uber entered the South Korean market in 2014 and launched the smartphone-based UberX service in partnership with MK Korea, a rental-car service operator. It was designed to connect customers with private drivers without a commercial taxi license. The Seoul city government filed a complaint with prosecutors, citing the domestic law prohibiting rental-car service operators from offering taxi services. Violators can face imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of 20 million won (US$17,000). (END)