Foreign Tourists to Venture Beyond Seoul... Expanded Support for Railway Reservations and Discounts

Ministry Partners with KORAIL and Klook to Boost Regional Tourism
Supports 20 Languages and 40 Currencies

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization will provide discounts on railway ticket reservations to increase foreign tourists' visits to local areas.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization will support discounts on railway ticket reservations to increase the number of foreign tourists visiting local areas.

On May 6, the Ministry announced that, together with the Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), and the online travel agency Klook, they will hold a railway ticket reservation discount event for foreign tourists from May 4 to June 3.

Klook, in collaboration with KORAIL, launched a real-time railway ticket reservation service for foreigners starting April 20. Foreign tourists can check the real-time schedule and seat availability for all train routes operated by KORAIL on the Klook app and website.

This service supports approximately 20 languages, 40 currencies, and various convenient payment methods. The Ministry aims to lower language and payment barriers, thereby creating an environment where foreign tourists can easily visit local areas in Korea by train.

During this event, KORAIL will introduce a special edition "Rail Plus Card" with a Klook-exclusive design. The Korea Tourism Organization will provide a 6,000 won discount coupon for ticket purchases, and Klook will offer free travel eSIMs to users.

The Ministry will also expand online booking platforms for express and intercity buses. In June, in cooperation with private companies, the Ministry plans to increase the number of online platforms where foreign tourists can book express and intercity buses and will also hold discount events.

According to statistics from the Korea Association for National Passenger Bus Terminal Business, after the full introduction of overseas card payments, the number of foreign bus users increased by 28.3%, from 825,000 in the second half of 2024 to 1,058,000 in the second half of last year.

A Ministry official stated, "We hope that the improved convenience and discount support for railway use will serve as a catalyst to draw foreign tourists, who are currently concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, to every corner of Korea. We will continue to work with the private sector to create an environment where foreign tourists can experience the diverse local cultures of Korea without inconvenience."

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