Uber hits roadblock as CEO charged in South Korea

Seoul, Dec 24: South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday indicted a US-based taxi service company for illegal operation, local media reported.

Uber, which started its services in San Francisco in 2010, is currently under investigation in several countries, including India, that have banned the service saying it provides unfair competition to professional cab drivers, among other reasons, Xinhua reported.

In India, Shiv Kumar Yadav, the 32-year-old driver of Uber services, allegedly raped a 25-year-old working woman in his cab Dec 5 while she was on her way home in north Delhi.

In South Korea, Travis Kalanick, the founder and CEO of Uber was prosecuted without physical detention on charges of violating the country's passenger-transport law.

The law bans rental-car service operators from doing passenger-transport business.

Uber signed a contract in August with the local rental-car service operator to connect rental-car drivers with passengers.

Local taxi companies have complained about such services, saying the illegal operations reduced their profits sharply.

The Seoul city government filed a lawsuit against Uber Technology last year.

Kalanick appeared at a Seoul police station for questioning but did not respond to prosecutors' summons.