Korea&YouThe KORAIL Pass and How to Ride Like a Local
Everything covered by the foreigner-only rail pass, plus the unwritten rules of the platform
If you're covering long distances across several separate days, the KORAIL Pass — a flat-rate rail pass sold only to foreign visitors — is worth pricing out. A single Seoul–Busan round trip doesn't justify it, but a week hopping between Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, and Jeonju easily does.
Quick answer: The KORAIL Pass lets any non-Korean visitor travel by train at a flat price, chosen from a set number of travel days within a 10-day window. It excludes the metropolitan subway and temporary tourist trains; whether former SRT routes are now included is still being finalized following the September 2026 operator merger, so check korail.com before relying on that detail.
What the Pass Costs
Passes are sold as "select" passes — you choose your travel days within a 10-day window starting from the pass's start date. Adult pricing applies from age 13; children ages 6–12 pay half, and one child under 6 travels free with each adult.
• 2-day select pass: ₩131,000 adult / ₩66,000 child
• 3-day select pass: ₩186,000 adult / ₩93,000 child
• 4-day select pass: ₩234,000 adult / ₩117,000 child
• 5-day select pass: ₩275,000 adult / ₩138,000 child
Buying and Using the Pass
• Buy it with a valid passport and a credit card.
• Reserve seats under My Ticket → Seat Reservation — reservations open one month before departure, and you can hold up to two tickets per person per day.
• Board carrying the pass, your passport, and your seat reservation if you made one.
If a train is sold out, pass holders may still board and stand with a valid pass and passport. First class is available at half the normal first-class fare for pass holders, though the same journey can't be booked twice on one date — cancel the existing reservation first if you want to switch departures.
Conditions Worth Knowing
• The pass is non-transferable. It belongs to the named holder only — selling or lending it is illegal and carries penalties.
• A screenshot isn't a valid ticket. The pass or seat reservation has to be shown live in your phone's browser.
• Refunds only work before your pass starts. Once the validity window begins, nothing is refundable, and delays or cancellations aren't compensated for pass holders.
• Misuse is expensive. Improper use draws the standard fare plus a surcharge of 10 to 30 times that fare.
Riding Like a Local: Train Etiquette
• Nobody checks your ticket. There are no ticket gates — just find your car and seat number. Inspections do happen, so this isn't an invitation to skip paying.
• Trains are quiet. Conversation stays low, and calls are taken in the vestibule between cars, not at your seat. Use headphones for anything with audio.
• Take your assigned seat. Seats are individually reserved, with the car and seat number printed on your ticket — don't move somewhere that looks emptier. Some rows face backward relative to travel direction; that's normal, not a booking error.
• Eating on board is completely normal. Anything sold at the station — gimbap, fried chicken, coffee, even beer — is fair game on the train. Just take your rubbish with you.
• Leave priority seats free. Seats nearest the doors are reserved for elderly, disabled, and pregnant passengers. Large suitcases go in the racks at the ends of each car, not the aisle.