Uber Technologies, Inc. ( UBER ) shares are trading slightly higher premarket today. The company’s CEO reportedly reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the South Korean market, which trails behind local tech group Kakao.

He emphasized that Uber ( UBER ) will focus on attracting more taxi drivers to fuel growth in the region, reported Reuters.

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Kakao holds over 90% of the taxi-hailing market in South Korea, based on app usage data.

Uber ( UBER ) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told reporters in Seoul, “The fact is that a taxi driver who uses the Uber ( UBER ) app will make more money, will be more busy.”

“We are growing significantly faster than the market, and we’re confident that our market share will only grow from here.”

Uber ( UBER ) initially entered the South Korean market in 2013 but withdrew due to regulations permitting only taxi-licensed companies to offer ride services.

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In 2021, Uber ( UBER ) re-entered the market by forming a joint venture with South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate, SK Group, named UT. In March this year, UT’s taxi-hailing service was rebranded as Uber Taxi.

This month, Uber ( UBER ) and Cruise stated that it will begin offering autonomous rides next year in the U.S. using part of Cruise’s 1,200 unit fleet.

Investors can gain exposure to the stock via iShares Trust iShares U.S. Transportation ETF and Franklin Disruptive Commerce ETF .

Price Action: UBER ( UBER ) shares are up 0.50% at $72.59 premarket at the last check Friday.

Image via Shutterstock

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.