Taxi driver impresses foreigner

``How can I become the head of family if I am shameful to my family?`` A good deed by a deluxe taxi driver touched a foreign passenger.

Kim Han-Ki, 53, with a career of 23 years as a cabbie, drove a Canadian businessman to the Hotel Lotte in Sogong-dong, downtown Seoul, from the domestic flight terminal of Kimpo Airport in October last year. The taxi meter showed 25,000 won. Passenger Jean Paul Bwalo, 52, who frequented Korea and Japan for business, mistook yen as won and paid 25,000 yen (about 250,000 won) to the driver.

Kim found later in the day at a stop light that he had received about 10 times the fare. He headed for the hotel and tried, in vain, to locate the Canadian businessman, even with the help of the hotel staff. He entrusted the money to the hotel manager, cordially asking him to find his passenger.

Hotel employees confirmed the Canadian through closed circuit TV, but he already had left for his country. However, the hotel managed to confirm his address in Canada and told him the story.

Bwalo, who visited Korea for business again got his money back from the hotel. He wanted to meet the driver, but his tight schedule did not allow him to do so, and he left Korea on Saturday.

The driver, who heard the whole story said: ``I did what I had to do. It is too good for me that he wanted to see me. I earn 150,000 won a day, and the 250,000 won might be big money. But I did not want to disappoint my family.``

Park Min-Hyuk mhpark@donga.com