Lunar New Year Train Tickets Scarce Again... Many Opt for Reverse Homecoming or Late-Night Buses

Ticket Wars Repeated Every Holiday Season
Extended Reservation Schedule Leads to Passenger Confusion
Unauthorized Boarding Tips Spread Online...Transport Congestion Rises

Ahn, a 34-year-old resident of Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, decided not to visit his hometown during this Lunar New Year holiday. He held his mobile phone ready for the moment ticket reservations opened and watched the waiting screen, but the number of people in the online queue reached tens of thousands. By the time he finally managed to log in after waiting for dozens of minutes, all seats on trains bound for Busan were already sold out. Driving was not a realistic option either, as the burden of traveling long distances with his two young children was too great. In the end, his parents decided instead to come up to the Seoul metropolitan area.

Han, a 56-year-old resident of Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province, also chose so-called "reverse homecoming," traveling himself to visit his children in Seoul. He said, "My daughters couldn't get tickets," adding, "For this holiday, we (my husband and I) decided we would just go up to Seoul." He added that he is exhausted by having to rely on luck and engage in a nerve-racking scramble every holiday season.

On the afternoon of the 11th, a notice reading "Beware of ticket scalping during the Lunar New Year holiday" was posted on the Seoul Station bulletin board. Oh Jieun, Reporter

Ahead of the "golden Lunar New Year holiday," during which people can take up to nine consecutive days off, reservations for KTX and SRT trains have once again turned into chaos. At one point, the number of people waiting to access the online reservation system exceeded 2 million, effectively paralyzing the servers, and major routes sold out as soon as reservations opened. Some have criticized that changes to the reservation schedule and the way routes were labeled only added to the confusion.

According to Korail and SR on the 12th, major southbound routes on the first day of the holiday period, the 14th, quickly sold out all seats. As of that day, tickets for northbound trains on Lunar New Year’s Day and the last day of the holiday were also almost completely sold out.

Although this pattern repeats every holiday, this time confusion surrounding the reservation schedule and route labeling further fueled complaints. The KTX reservation period, which used to be spread over two days, was extended to three, and the labels "Gyeongbu Line" and "Daegu/Gyeongbuk-bound" were shown separately, leading some passengers to misunderstand the schedule. Korail announced that, starting on January 19, it would accept reservations from all passengers, with Honam and Jeolla lines on the first day, Gyeongjeon and Daegu/Gyeongbuk lines on the second day, and the Gyeongbu Line reserved separately on the final day. Jeon, a 26-year-old whose hometown is Daegu, said, "I was confused because Daegu/Gyeongbuk-bound and Gyeongbu Line reservations were listed separately," and lamented, "I woke up early to be ready at 7 a.m. (on January 20), but it was all for nothing." The Daegu/Gyeongbuk Line listed for the second day applied only to Mugunghwa trains such as those departing from Hayang Station.

As homebound travelers who failed to secure train tickets turned to buses as an alternative, the reservation battle has spread even to "late-night buses." On the 13th and on the 14th after 10 p.m., most premium late-night express and intercity buses departing from Seoul for other regions were sold out on routes leaving from Seoul Express Bus Terminal (Seoul Gyeongbu) and Seoul Central City Terminal.

"Early-morning waiting" for canceled tickets is also continuing. On social networking services and online communities, users are sharing information that if you access the reservation site around 2 a.m., you can spot canceled tickets. Some warn that the recurring ticket scramble could encourage disorderly travel practices. Certain online posts have even advised people to board sold-out trains without tickets, accept the risk of a fine, and then ask the train crew to issue a ticket on board.

According to a survey by the Korea Transport Institute, a total of 27.8 million people are expected to travel between February 13 and 18 for homecoming and return trips. The average daily number of travelers is projected to reach 8.34 million, up 9.3% from last Lunar New Year.

Korail has designated this period as the "Lunar New Year Special Transport Period" and plans to implement special transport measures while also blocking ticket scalping and resale. It also plans to supply an average of 350,000 seats per day, an increase of 110,000 seats compared with normal periods.

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