There has been another taxi cab related incident but this time this incident is a little bit different from what we usually see:
AAFES officials have taken disciplinary action against an Osan Air Base cab driver who appears in an online video making sexual comments and gestures and shouting profanity out the window while driving on base.
The driver, Lee Keun-rok, 48, also appears in a second video in which he jokes with passengers about using cocaine and heroin.
Each YouTube video was filmed inside a moving taxi on base by American passengers who laughingly encourage Lee’s statements.
Lee is a driver with the Hae Gang taxi service, which operates cabs on Osan Air Base under contract with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service.
He has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, AAFES spokesman Master Sgt. Donovan K. Potter said. [Stars & Stripes]
Here is the video that the article is referring to (NSFW):
It is pretty clear that the taxi driver Lee Keun-rok who is known as "Playboy" on Osan Airbase is just joking around with the soldiers. You can see the same thing in this video (also NSFW) )where he admits to drug use:
I don’t think the guy should be fired because he is obviously being encouraged by the people in the taxi and it is not even clear if he even understands all the things the servicemembers are telling him to say. Lee admits he plays along solely to get larger tips from his passengers. I have seen other taxi cab drivers doing nearly the same thing, but not quite as obnoxious as Lee.
It seems like an ass chewing and a suspension would be the way to go with this. If Korean employees that trespassed into a high security area on Osan Airbase are allowed to keep their jobs then how can you fire Playboy for cursing while being encouraged by his passengers? I do have to say that the people who put this video YouTube are a bunch of dopes though. What purpose did putting this video on the Internet serve?
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11:31 am on March 29th, 2008 1
It seems a rather trivial thing to fire someone over. His fares obviously wanted him to demonstrate that behavior, and he did for larger tips. Who cares?
I’d much rather see some Osan taxi drivers fired over repeated traffic violations, but of course the SPs would actually have to be giving out traffic tickets for that to occur.
2:18 pm on March 29th, 2008 2
I don’t see a problem with canning him. Personally I am glad. He is just saying that stuff to insult the Americans. As Trump says: YOU ARE FIRED!! LOL!!!
2:27 pm on March 29th, 2008 3
[...] This is just dumb. [...]
3:04 pm on March 29th, 2008 4
Funny… when a GI does something stupid downtown, it is the bar’s fault for “encouraging attitudes and behaviors counter to good order and discipline”.
In this situation, however, it’s all about personal responsibility.
So… just why is it that Osan and Stars & Stripes make a big deal of this yet refuse to publish an article on how to avoid getting ripped off by your scummy Korean landlord?
4:08 pm on March 29th, 2008 5
No reason to fire the taxi driver or place him on admin leave. He learned the slang from GIs and is being encouraged by GIs to repeat words and behavior.
In his mind he is just providing customer service - give the customer what they want. I understand that Mr. Lee grew up in the Songtan area in an extremely poor, but good family. Taking away this man’s ability to earn a living would be wrong.
4:28 pm on March 29th, 2008 6
One the one hand, the US GIs need to be bitch slapped for even making this video, let alone posting it on the internet.
On the other hand, the taxi driver is not a child, he is an adult, and as such, is responsible for his behavior. Korea is NOT a 3rd world backwater where the natives have never seen a television or toaster oven. He really SHOULD have known better than to behave that way when he knew he was being recorded….
Should he be fired? Naw. Should he have some sort of reprimand? Absolutely. So should the GIs involved, for behavior unbecoming to the human race…..
4:51 pm on March 29th, 2008 7
I am assuming that the AAFES cab company has some kind of standards of professionalism that they expect from their cab drivers and I’m assuming Lee has probably violated those standards of professionalism.
But like I said before I don’t think he should be fired for it though. He should be punished in some way though for violating whatever professionalism standards the taxi company has though. That is why I’m saying give him a reprimand and a short suspension would probably be sufficient.
As far as the servicemembers who put this on YouTube like I said before they are dopes. However, I’m not sure if there is any legal consequences though for loading these videos on YouTube. Any JAGs or lawyers out there reading this feel free to weigh in on this.
5:03 pm on March 29th, 2008 8
the guy shouldnt be fired as for posting videos i dont see any reason they would get in trouble either
maybe not the best idea but certainly not punishable unless they recorded areas of the base they shouldnt have
all in all an embarassing situation for all involved!!
7:02 pm on March 29th, 2008 9
What did the cab driver do wrong other than to try to act like any other normal GI’s in Korea, with the encouragement of those GI’s in the cab?
7:42 pm on March 29th, 2008 10
“What did the cab driver do wrong other than to try to act like any other normal GI’s in Korea, with the encouragement of those GI’s in the cab?”
GI’s did it, so its OK for the AAFES cab driver to do that on the job? If the GI’s are drunk in the taxi, does that mean he should get drunk and drive.
I, for one, am REAL HAPPY he is out of a job. YOUR FIRED!! LOL
“act like any other normal GI’s in Korea”
Maybe its normal for Koreans, but not normal for American or GI’s. Tom, you seem to really hate Americans, are you Korean?
12:39 am on March 30th, 2008 11
Poor guy gets fired for entertaining the troops? What’s the AF coming to?
5:00 pm on March 30th, 2008 12
“Poor guy gets fired for entertaining the troops? What’s the AF coming to?”
Maybe to koreans this guy was “bob hope” ,LOL, but in my opinion, he was just insuling the Americans. he will be in front of Yongsan protesting next week.
7:04 pm on March 30th, 2008 13
Too bad he is under the investigation… but from my view of the video, I am sure not all customers would find his comments ‘entertaining’.
Everyone has different methods in trying to add values to provide quality service… and I think that he was just trying to entertain his customers in his own way.
I hope they end this with just a warning.
10:19 pm on March 30th, 2008 14
The words of “dada”
“Yo GI Korea… I am curious… Just how much money are you gettin paid from the Japs for all your hard work in slandering South Korea? And I am being real serious here.”
Dada, how can a anybody take a racist fool like you seriously?
This jerk needs to get fired. But because he is Korean you can count on him protesting the americans for the rest of his life, even though it is his company and not the americans who make the final decision.
Koreans take take and take from the americans. They are so used to it, that they think the americans owe them. This jerk was making fun of american culture by pretending to be a drug user, like his image of americans. Fire him. I would love to see him in a soup line.
12:58 am on April 1st, 2008 15
I filmed “Playboy @ Osan AB”. I posted it on YouTube. It has been circulating on the internet since Aug of 2007. Since then, the video has been a hit. I have been out of the sevice since Jan 07, and as a civilian, I am entitled to post such videos and share the experiences. It’s pretty sad they the cab company had to worry about people having fun. I can be reached via e-mail kenny@rockstaredition.com, or visit http://www.rockstaredition.com
9:53 am on April 1st, 2008 16
12:47 pm on April 1st, 2008 17
Good for you Kenny. Of course you didn’t plan on anything bad to happen to that dork, but it is out of your hands.
I hope he loses his job, becuase I think he was trying to insult the Americans. Some of the Americans don’t get it, but he was really calling the Americans druggies. Just like going up to a black guy, and acting like he was a rapper or gangsa.
2:29 pm on April 2nd, 2008 18
5:44 am on April 3rd, 2008 19
[...] Forget the Osan Playboy, these people are idiots: Osan authorities have counseled two members of a group of Air Force police officers who appear — in uniform and on duty — in online videos that contain obscene language and song lyrics that express hostility toward certain racial and religious groups. [...]
8:04 am on May 2nd, 2008 20
Leave the old man alone, he is just making his living the best way he knows of.
11:25 pm on May 10th, 2008 21
11:17 am on October 9th, 2008 22