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Tens of thousands of taxi drivers demonstrated in Seoul last Thursday against a planned ride-sharing service developed by the country’s top chat app. Similar protests have been held in the past against the attempted market penetration of transport services such as Uber Technologies and other domestic startups. Drivers fear that the apps will decimate the taxi industry.

Protesters wearing red headbands chanted slogans, waved flags and held up placards with slogans such as, “Let’s crush the carpooling industry which ignores the taxi industry,” and “Illegal business carpool app out.”

Chat app operator Kakao Corp has created a division called Kakao Mobility for carpooling during “commuting hours.” It began recruiting drivers on Tuesday. The company plans to launch the service before the end of the year.

Transport laws in South Korea prohibit the use of personal vehicles for commercial purposes, but allow carpooling during “commuting hours.”