KTX and Other Train Tickets for Next Year's Lunar New Year Holiday Available for Reservation from the 20th, '100% Contactless'

On the last day of the Chuseok holiday, returning travelers are getting off the train at Seoul Station and heading home. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) will begin reservations for train tickets for next year’s Lunar New Year holiday from the 20th to the 22nd of this month. Reservations will be conducted 100% non-face-to-face via online and telephone.

According to KORAIL on the 13th, the tickets available for reservation during the Lunar New Year holiday are for KTX, ITX-Saemaeul, and Mugunghwa trains operating from January 20 to 24 next year.

On the first day of reservations (the 20th), only information-vulnerable groups such as seniors aged 65 and older and registered disabled persons under the Welfare of Disabled Persons Act are eligible. On the 21st and 22nd, all citizens can make reservations.

Ten percent of all seats are preferentially allocated to information-vulnerable groups, who can reserve tickets on the day via telephone or online (if they are railroad members).

Information-vulnerable groups wishing to reserve by phone must undergo a disability verification process connected in real-time with the Ministry of Health and Welfare using their resident registration number (ARS service available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

On the 21st and 22nd, all citizens, including seniors and disabled persons, can reserve Lunar New Year tickets online via PC or the mobile app “KORAIL Talk.”

The routes available for reservation by date are ▲ January 21: Gyeongbu, Gyeongjeon, Donghae, Chungbuk, Jungbu Naeryuk, and Gyeongbuk lines ▲ January 22: Honam, Jeolla, Gangneung, Janghang, Jungang, Taebaek, Yeongdong, and Gyeongchun lines.

Mobile reservations require accessing the “Holiday Ticket Reservation Dedicated Homepage” through a link provided in KORAIL Talk or by entering the address directly in a web browser.

KORAIL will operate the “Holiday Ticket Reservation Dedicated Homepage” in advance from 2 p.m. on the 16th to help users understand the reservation process. During this pre-operation period, users can verify their railroad membership number and password, experience the holiday ticket reservation method in advance, and receive train timetable information.

Tickets reserved online or by phone during the pre-reservation period must be paid for between 3 p.m. on the 22nd and midnight on the 25th of this month. Tickets not paid for will be automatically canceled and allocated to those on the waiting list.

Unsold remaining seats can be purchased from 3 p.m. on the 22nd through the website, KORAIL Talk, station counters, and other online and offline channels just like regular tickets.

Meanwhile, KORAIL has decided to apply the companion infant discount (75%), which was previously excluded during holiday reservation periods, starting with next year’s Lunar New Year ticket reservations.

KORAIL President Na Hee-seung said, “KORAIL has improved system performance by expanding web server capacity 3.4 times to facilitate smooth ticket reservations during the Lunar New Year holiday and enhance customer convenience. We will do our utmost to ensure there are no issues during the reservation process so that everyone can have a safe and enjoyable holiday.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.