KORAIL PASS: prices, coverage, seats and single tickets
Jean Song · How we verify · sources checked SEP 9, 2026
Highlights
The short answer
The KORAIL PASS lets foreign visitors travel across Korea by train at a reduced price, but only on days inside a fixed window that starts on the pass's first day, so before you buy, compare its price with the single fares for the journeys you plan in that window. It is for foreigners visiting Korea and is not available to people with Korean nationality. It is priced by the number of travel days, and excludes SRT, the metropolitan railway and temporary tourist trains. Pass holders still reserve seats, can stand if seats sell out, and lose the right to a refund once the pass starts. Prices and rules were checked against KORAIL's official pages in September 2026.
Trains, Buses & Tickets · KTX · SRT · Express bus
The KORAIL PASS is a rail pass sold by Korail (Korea Railroad Corporation) that lets foreign visitors travel across the country by train at a reduced price. This guide sets out who can buy it, what each version costs, which trains fall outside it, how seat reservations work for pass holders, and how it compares with buying ordinary point-to-point tickets. Prices and rules come from the operator's official pages and change from time to time, so confirm them on the KORAIL site before you pay.
Who can buy a KORAIL PASS?
The eligibility rule is short:
Any foreigner visiting Korea can use the KORAIL PASS; it is unavailable to persons with Korean nationality.
To buy one you need two things to hand:
A valid passport and credit card are required to purchase a KORAIL PASS.
Keep the same passport with you on the train. If reserved seats are sold out, pass holders can still board by showing the pass together with their passport (see the section on seats below).
How much does the KORAIL PASS cost?
The pass is sold as a set of Select passes, priced by the number of travel days you choose. Child prices are roughly half the adult price at each level.
| Select pass | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Two travel days | ₩131,000 | ₩66,000 |
| Three travel days | ₩186,000 | ₩93,000 |
| Four travel days | ₩234,000 | ₩117,000 |
| Five travel days | ₩275,000 | ₩138,000 |
Which price applies to whom is set by age:
Adult rate applies from age 13; child rate applies from age 6 to 12; one child under 6 travels free per adult over 13.
The travel days are not open-ended. They have to fall within a fixed window that starts on the pass's first day:
The departure date must be selected within 10 days from the KORAIL PASS's starting date.
Plan your train journeys around that window. On a longer holiday the pass still covers journeys inside that one window only, so the long trips you want it for need to sit close together in your itinerary.
Which trains does the KORAIL PASS cover?
The official description of the pass, including what it leaves out, is:
The KORAIL PASS allows foreigners visiting Korea to travel across the country by train at a reduced price; it does not include SRT, the metropolitan railway, or temporary tourist trains.
In practice that means three kinds of journey need a separate ticket even while your pass is active:
- SRT trains. Buy an ordinary SRT ticket for these journeys; the pass does not apply.
- The metropolitan railway. Journeys on it are not included, so pay for them separately.
- Temporary tourist trains. These sit outside the pass as well.
If your route between two cities has both KORAIL and SRT departures, check which operator runs the train you are looking at before assuming the pass covers it.
Do KORAIL PASS holders have to reserve seats?
The pass pays for travel, but a reserved seat is booked separately against it. Reservations open on a set schedule and carry a daily limit:
Seat reservations become available one month before the departure date; up to two tickets per person can be selected per day.
On a busy route or at a popular departure time, reserve as soon as the booking window opens for your travel date. Keep the daily limit in mind on a day with several connections, and reserve the longest legs first. If you leave it late and the seats have gone, there is a fallback:
If reserved seats are sold out, a KORAIL PASS holder may still board on a standing seat with a valid pass and passport.
Treat standing as the backup rather than the plan.
First class. Pass holders who want a first-class seat pay part of its price on each journey:
KORAIL PASS holders are charged 50% of the first-class seat price for the respective route.
Luggage. Pass holders follow the same baggage rule as everyone else:
A passenger must be able to carry their own luggage, no more than two pieces; luggage must not occupy a seat or block the aisle.
How does the KORAIL PASS compare with buying single tickets?
Point-to-point KTX high-speed rail tickets are sold through several channels:
Buy via the KORAIL website (www.korail.com), the KORAIL Talk mobile app, ticket vending machines, or train stations (not available at subway stations).
They go on sale well ahead of travel:
Tickets go on sale from 07:00, one month before the desired departure date.
The two options side by side:
| Condition | KORAIL PASS | Single tickets |
|---|---|---|
| When you can buy | With a passport and credit card, as above | Sales windows by channel: Website: until 20 minutes before departure. Ticket vending machines: until 10 minutes before departure. Train stations: until departure |
| Paying from abroad | Credit card required at purchase | Overseas credit cards are accepted for KTX ticket payment; a refund on an overseas card takes between two weeks and one month to be credited back, depending on the card issuer's settlement cycle |
| Child discount | Child rate by age, as above | Children aged 6 to 13 receive a 50% discount on tickets |
| Young children | One young child free per adult, as above | Toddlers under 6 receive a 75% discount on tickets, up to 2 children per guardian; a toddler not requiring a seat is not charged for an additional ticket |
| Refunds | Refunds on a KORAIL PASS are only available before the pass’s starting date; unavailable afterward | Graded fee by timing (see below) |
| Delays and suspensions | No compensation is provided for train delays and suspensions under the KORAIL PASS | Check the operator's terms |
The age bands are not identical. The pass uses its own child rate, set out in the price section, while single-ticket discounts use a slightly different age range. For a child near the upper end of either band, check both rules before deciding which option costs less for the family.
How to work out whether the pass is worth it
This guide does not give a break-even figure. Work it out for your own journeys instead:
- List the long train journeys you plan to take and the dates of each.
- Check which of them fall inside one pass window and on how many separate days.
- Look up the single fare for each of those journeys on the KORAIL website or app.
- Add those fares together and compare the total with the Select pass that matches your number of travel days.
If the single fares add up to more than the pass, the pass costs less than single tickets for that stretch. Keep in mind that the pass covers only journeys inside its window, and never journeys on SRT, the metropolitan railway or temporary tourist trains.
Flexibility counts as well as price. A pass cannot be refunded once it has started, while a single ticket can be cancelled on a sliding scale.
What does it cost to cancel a single ticket instead?
For single KTX tickets the cancellation fee depends on how close to departure you cancel, with lower charges on some days of the week:
| When you cancel | Fee |
|---|---|
| Well ahead of travel | 1 month to 2 days before departure: no cancellation fee (Mon-Thu) or minimum cancellation fee (Fri-Sun, bank holidays) |
| From the day before to a few hours before | More than 1 day before departure to 3-24 hours before departure: 5% penalty |
| Shortly before departure | 3 hours before departure to less than 20 minutes before departure: 15% penalty (Mon-Thu) or 10% penalty (Fri-Sun, bank holidays) |
| Just after departure | After departure, 20-60 minutes: 40% penalty (Mon-Thu) or 20% penalty (Fri-Sun, bank holidays) |
| Later in the journey | After departure, 60 minutes to arrival: 70% penalty (Mon-Thu) or 30% penalty (Fri-Sun, bank holidays); refundable only at a KORAIL station ticket office at this stage |
A refund to a card issued abroad takes time to appear:
For an overseas card, a refund takes between two weeks and one month after being requested; it is credited on the date the customer next pays their credit card bill.
What do I need to show on the train?
Carry your pass, your seat reservation if you have one, and your passport. For any ticket, a copy will not do:
A captured image or copy of a ticket is invalid and cannot be used to board or be cancelled; the original ticket is required.
On a phone, open the ticket live in the app or website rather than relying on a screenshot saved earlier. Keep the phone charged for the day's travel.
Use the pass only for its intended purpose. Using it in a way its conditions do not allow is treated seriously:
Illegal use of the KORAIL PASS contrary to its purpose incurs the standard fare plus an additional fare of 10 to 30 times the standard fare.
What if my plans change after I buy the pass?
Before the pass starts. This is the point at which you can still get your money back, so if your dates move or the itinerary no longer justifies a pass, deal with it before the first day of validity.
After the pass starts. A refund is no longer available, and delays or suspended services do not bring compensation. If a train you planned to use is cancelled, rebook another departure within your window or fall back on a single ticket for that leg.
Seats sold out on the day you need to travel. Board on a standing basis with your pass and passport, as described above, or reserve a later departure that still has seats.
A journey you had counted on turns out to be SRT or a temporary tourist train. Buy a normal ticket for it. The pass will not cover it, whatever the route.
For anything the official pages do not answer, the KORAIL call centre is on +82-1599-7777, open 08:00–20:00.
Questions people ask
Can I use the KORAIL PASS on SRT trains?
No. SRT trains, the metropolitan railway and temporary tourist trains are all outside the pass, so buy separate tickets for those journeys.
Do I need to reserve a seat with a KORAIL PASS?
Reserving is how you secure a seat, and bookings open ahead of the travel date with a daily limit. If seats are gone you can still board and stand with your pass and passport.
Can I get a refund on a KORAIL PASS?
Only before the pass's starting date. Once it has started there is no refund, and delays or suspensions are not compensated.
Is the KORAIL PASS cheaper than buying single tickets?
It depends on your route plan. Add up the single fares for the journeys that fall inside one pass window and compare the total with the matching pass price, as set out in the comparison section.
Can Korean nationals or residents buy the KORAIL PASS?
It is for foreigners visiting Korea and is not available to people with Korean nationality. Our sources do not say how the rule applies to foreign nationals who live in Korea, so check with KORAIL before buying.
