How much were the actual incidents in ‘Model Taxi 2’ punished?

Following the real estate subscription crime and the atrocities of cult leaders, even the Burning Sun Gate, the criminal cases that made the SBS drama 'Model Taxi 2' shiver were recalled. 'Dramatic' but the actual reality was no less than the drama.

'Model Taxi 2' is a private revenge drama in which taxi company Rainbow Transportation and taxi driver Kim Do-gi complete revenge on behalf of wronged victims. It is a work that is gaining attention as its viewership rating rises to 18.3%.

Various attractions such as Lee Je-hoon's sub-character play, the chemistry of the Rainbow Transportation team, and flashy action, as well as their retribution for the wronged victims, provide viewers with pleasure. Another reason why 'Model Taxi 2' is attracting attention is that the episodes covered by 'Model Taxi 2' are based on actual events.

In episodes 10 and 11, Kim Do-gi was depicted disguising himself as a guard and infiltrating the club 'Black Sun', known as a den of crime. Kim Do-gi faced the reality of Black Sun, a place full of luxury and pleasure for the wealthy, in the VIP room.

‘Black Sun Episode’ was reminiscent of Burning Sun Gate. Burning Sun caused shock due to suspicions of sexual crimes, drugs, assault, and police collusion. Victor, who appears as a celebrity enjoying entertainment at a club in the play, reminded me of the name of singer Seungri, a key figure in Burning Sun Gate. Seungri, who was indicted on a total of eight charges, including prostitution, solicitation of prostitution, the Punishment Act for Sexual Violence, the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (Embezzlement), embezzlement while on the job, the Food Sanitation Act, habitual gambling, and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, was recently released.

In episodes 7 and 8, Kim Do-gi was depicted providing true education to the cult leader. The cult leader prevents sick believers from receiving hospital treatment and brainwashes them into thinking that only believing in him can give birth. Kim Do-gi became a pseudo-shaman and condemned the cult leader.

Recently, the reality of those who committed atrocities in the name of religion was revealed through Netflix's 'I Am God', causing shock. Myeongseok Jeong, president of the Christian Gospel Mission (JMS), was arrested and indicted on charges of committing sexual violence (quasi-rape, quasi-rape, quasi-rape, quasi-indecent assault, forcible indecent assault) against two female believers on 17 occasions from 2018 to 2019, and entered into a criminal agreement with the Daejeon District Court. He is being tried by Division 12 (Presiding Judge Na Sang-hoon).

Previously, President Chung was sentenced to 10 years in prison on similar charges in April 2009 and was released in February 2018. Immediately after his release from prison, he was arrested and handed over to trial in October last year on charges of forcibly molesting or quasi-raping a female Hong Kong citizen on a total of 17 occasions at a training center in Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Province, between February 2018 and September 2021.

In episodes 5 and 6, Kim Do-gi was depicted punishing a broker who illegally subscribed to real estate. Kim Do-gi approached Ahn An-eun (played by Pyo Ye-jin) and Kang Pil-seung (played by Kim Do-yoon), a broker who had illegally subscribed to an apartment, disguised as a newlywed couple. Kang Pil-seung committed the atrocity of coaxing newlyweds who were desperate to 'buy their own home' into adopting an orphan, earning them extra points for subscription, and then forcing them to abandon their marriage.

This too was inspired by an incident that actually occurred in 2009. Broker Mr. Kim had homeless people file false adoption reports, turned them into multi-child households, and applied for special sales. After applying, the child was abandoned.

Episodes 3 and 4 dealt with the topic of fraud targeting rural seniors. We provided education on a fraudulent organization that preys on the weak minds of rural seniors and commits vicious fraud. This kind of fraud organization for the elderly is a crime that occurs so frequently that it is still being discovered on a regular basis. A common tactic is to exaggerate the efficacy of health functional foods and sell them at high prices. In particular, just as Model Taxi 2 lured the elderly with a trot performance, a typical tactic is to capture the hearts of the elderly and make a hard sell under the pretext of performances or tours.

The problem of illegal Internet gambling, which was covered in episodes 1 and 2, is still a widespread problem throughout society. The sales volume of the Internet gambling site organization arrested in October last year alone was 5.7 trillion won. It was raised over 8 years from January 2014 to July of last year. It was a large-scale incident in which 20 people were arrested and 171 people were booked.

< The Incheon Police Agency's Cyber Crime Investigation Team has caught a group of people who ran a gambling site worth 5.7 trillion won and is confiscating cash. Incheon Police Agency>

Although Model Taxi 2 is based on a fictional story, the social problems portrayed in the drama are not much different from what actually happened in our society. Maybe reality is crueler. Could it be that the ‘extrajudicial’ revenge depicted in Model Taxi 2 brought comfort to the hearts of the people who had been appalled by the shocking acts of crime? This is why viewers who watch Model Taxi 2 feel excited but also heartbroken.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr