Two Korean tourists report sexual assault by taxi driver in Taipei

Two South Korean women said they were sexually attacked by a taxi driver while traveling to a night market in Taipei, according to local reports and the Korean foreign ministry on Sunday.

According to the reports, three Korean women hired a taxi around 6 p.m. on Thursday to visit the popular Shilin Night Market.

The taxi driver, identified only by his surname Chan, was said to have given them a soft drink while heading to the market. Two of them, sitting at the back, passed out after drinking it while the one who was sitting in the passenger seat didn't drink it.

Upon arriving at the market, the sober woman tried to wake them up, to no avail, and went to check out the market alone, thinking the two fell asleep due to tiredness. She went back to the taxi around an hour later to find out they were still sleeping. The three then returned to the hotel. 

The next day, the two reported to the local police that they were sexually assaulted by the taxi driver.

On Saturday night, the police summoned Chan for investigation.

They soon detained him as the suspect partially admitted to the assault in his testimony. He is reported to have said he only meant to touch them.

Meanwhile, a blood test revealed that the victims had sleeping-inducing drugs in their blood. 

"The Taiwanese police detained the suspect for investigation and are likely to charge him," an official from the foreign ministry told Yonhap News Agency, adding that the women have returned to Korea.

Taiwan is one of the most popular travel destinations among South Koreans. Last year, more than 800,000 people visited the country, up by 33 percent from a previous year. (Yonhap)