Mercedes owner in South Korea insults driver, refuses to pay over body odour

A video of a substitute driver repeatedly apologising after being insulted by a Mercedes owner in South Korea, who refused to pay the driving fee due to a supposed body odour, has gone viral online.

A post titled “Mercedes Owner Refuses to Pay Driver, Saying He Smells” was shared on an online community on Thursday, accompanied by a video capturing the incident.

The person who posted the video, identified as Mr A, described how the previous night (October 2) in an underground car park, a driver was denied his 25,000 won (US$18) fee because the car owner claimed the driver smelled.

The video shows a man, believed to be the owner of a Mercedes, confronting a driver dressed in white, asking, “Why should I pay 25,000 won to someone who lacks basic decency?”

The driver, visibly shaken, sniffs his own clothes and repeatedly apologises, bowing his head.

The situation escalates when the car owner calls the driving service and raises his voice, saying, “Are homeless people now becoming drivers? My car reeks of this man’s smell.”

He then instructs the service not to charge his card for the fee. The driver continues to sniff his clothes and repeatedly apologises, saying, “I’m sorry”.