A short taxi ride in Pohang, South Korea, ended in a tragic death after a college student misunderstood her driver’s actions. She believed she was being kidnapped and jumped from the moving vehicle. But the investigation revealed something unexpected: the elderly taxi driver was almost completely deaf and had not heard her warnings.
The incident happened on March 4, 2022. It involved a series of misunderstandings, poor communication, and decisions that led to an irreversible tragedy.
The case raises important questions about passenger safety, communication between taxi drivers and passengers, and what can happen when people cannot understand each other in an emergency.
The Night of the Taxi Incident
A College Student in a Hurry
At around 8:50 p.m. on March 4, 2022, 20-year-old Kim Yun-seol left a restaurant on a busy street in Pohang, a city on South Korea’s east coast.
She had been having dinner with friends when she suddenly remembered an unfinished homework assignment. It was due the following day, so she decided to return to her dormitory at Handong University.
As she waited for a taxi, she was already checking her phone for the assignment instructions.
An elderly taxi driver pulled up. Kim got into the back seat and told him she wanted to go to Handong University, which was only a few blocks away.
The driver turned around to confirm her destination. Kim was busy reading her phone and did not give him much attention. When she briefly looked up and said, “Yep. All right. Thank you,” the driver took this as confirmation.
He then started driving.
The Driver Took the Wrong Route
During the ride, Kim remained focused on her homework. She was reading the assignment syllabus and preparing for the work she needed to finish that night.
After a few minutes, she looked up and noticed something unusual.
Instead of approaching Handong University, the taxi had turned away from the road leading to her school. The driver then entered an expressway.
Kim immediately became concerned.
She told the driver that he was going in the wrong direction and asked him to turn around. But he did not respond.
She tried again, speaking more firmly and asking him to return to the correct road.
The driver continued driving and began speeding through traffic.
Kim looked at him and noticed that he showed no reaction. From her perspective, it seemed as though he was deliberately ignoring her.
Kim Believed She Was Being Kidnapped
She Sent Messages to Her Boyfriend
As the taxi continued along the expressway, Kim became increasingly frightened.
She took out her phone and sent messages to her boyfriend. She told him that she believed she was in danger and that the driver might be kidnapping her.
At the same time, she repeatedly asked the driver to stop.
She told him she would get out and walk the remaining distance if he would just let her leave.
But there was still no response.
The driver eventually slowed down and exited the expressway. For a moment, Kim felt relieved because she thought she would have an opportunity to escape.
However, the taxi continued through a quiet, deserted area.
The driver turned onto a side street and kept moving toward a destination Kim did not recognize.
She Considered Calling the Police
Kim checked her phone, but her boyfriend had not replied.
She considered calling the police. However, she was unsure about her exact location and worried that the taxi would continue moving while she tried to explain where she was.
She also considered jumping out of the vehicle.
The door beside her was unlocked. She believed that getting out might be her only chance to escape.
Before making that decision, she looked at the driver again and begged him to stop.
He continued driving without reacting.
Kim Jumped Out of the Moving Taxi
Kim eventually opened the taxi door and jumped out.
The vehicle was moving relatively slowly, but she still hit the pavement with considerable force. She rolled several times and was badly shaken by the impact.
Despite the fall, she managed to sit up.
The taxi continued down the road.
But before she could get to safety, she noticed the bright lights of an approaching vehicle.
An SUV struck her.
Kim died from the collision.
The Police Investigation Revealed an Unexpected Truth
Detective Han Questioned the Taxi Driver
The following day, Detective Han Ji-min arrived at the Pohang City Police Department to investigate Kim’s death.
The taxi driver, Jo Young-min, was also brought in for questioning.
Detective Han already had an important piece of evidence. Kim’s boyfriend had provided printed copies of the messages she had sent during the taxi ride.
The messages showed that Kim believed the driver was kidnapping her. She had repeatedly expressed fear and asked for help.
When Detective Han placed the messages in front of Jo, the driver appeared shocked.
He read through them and insisted that the situation had been misunderstood.
Then he explained something that changed the entire investigation.
The Taxi Driver Was Almost Completely Deaf
Jo was almost completely deaf.
He explained that he usually confirmed passengers’ destinations by looking at their faces and reading their lips.
When passengers entered his taxi, he would turn around and try to understand where they wanted to go. His limited hearing sometimes helped, but he relied mainly on lip-reading.
He had been doing this for a long time and believed it was enough to communicate with passengers.
On the night of the incident, Kim quickly told him that she wanted to go to Handong University.
Jo thought he heard the word “University,” but he was not certain about the full name.
He turned around to confirm the destination. However, Kim was busy looking at her phone.
When she finally looked up and said, “Yeah, thank you,” Jo understood this as confirmation.
But he had misunderstood her destination.
He believed she wanted to visit a different university, which was much farther away and located in another direction.
Why the Driver Did Not Respond to Kim
This misunderstanding explained why Jo continued driving despite Kim’s repeated complaints.
He had not heard her telling him that he was going the wrong way.
He had not heard her asking him to stop.
He had not heard her begging to be let out of the taxi.
From Jo’s perspective, he was simply taking his passenger to the university he believed she had requested.
From Kim’s perspective, however, the driver was deliberately ignoring her and taking her somewhere against her will.
Neither understood what was happening.
The driver believed he was completing a normal taxi journey, while Kim believed she was fighting to escape a kidnapping.
Unfortunately, neither realized the truth before the situation became fatal.
The Legal Outcome of the Case
Following the investigation, both the taxi driver, Jo, and the SUV driver who struck Kim were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The case involved a tragic chain of events. A misunderstanding about a destination led to a frightened passenger jumping from a moving vehicle and being struck by another car.
However, both drivers were later acquitted.
The available account does not provide further details about the court’s reasoning or the specific legal arguments behind the acquittals.
What This Tragic Taxi Incident Teaches Us
The death of Kim shows how a simple communication failure can lead to devastating consequences.
Several things went wrong during that short journey:
- The destination was not properly confirmed: The driver misunderstood the university Kim wanted to visit.
- The passenger was distracted: Kim was focused on her phone and did not realize the driver needed clear confirmation.
- The driver could not hear her warnings: His hearing impairment prevented him from understanding her repeated requests.
- Fear influenced her decisions: As the taxi continued in the wrong direction, Kim became convinced that she was being kidnapped.
There are also important safety lessons for passengers and drivers.
Confirm the Destination Before Starting a Journey
Passengers should make sure the driver understands the exact destination before the vehicle moves.
Drivers who have difficulty hearing should use written addresses, maps, or other clear methods to confirm where passengers want to go.
Use a Taxi App or Share Your Location
Sharing trip details with someone you trust can help others know your route and identify unexpected changes.
If you feel unsafe, contact emergency services and share your location whenever possible.
Avoid Jumping From a Moving Vehicle
Jumping from a moving vehicle can cause severe injuries or death, even when the vehicle is travelling slowly.
If you feel unsafe, try to communicate your need to stop, contact emergency services, and look for a safe opportunity to leave the vehicle.
Conclusion
Kim’s death was the result of a tragic misunderstanding that neither she nor the taxi driver fully understood at the time.
She believed an elderly driver was kidnapping her. He believed he was taking her to the university she had requested.
The driver could not hear her warnings, and Kim had no way of knowing that his silence was caused by his hearing impairment.
By the time the truth became clear, it was too late.
A journey that should have lasted only a few minutes ended in the death of a 20-year-old college student.
The case is a reminder that communication is not always as simple as speaking and listening. When people cannot understand each other, even an ordinary situation can turn into a tragedy.