Ticket to ride: Jump in foreign Korail passengers signals how tourists today experience Korea

The KTX-Eum [KOREA RAILROAD CORPORATION]

 
Train travel is becoming a key part of the tourism experience for visitors to Korea, carrying a growing number of travelers beyond Seoul and into regional destinations. Last year, the number of foreign passengers on the rail system topped 6 million for the first time, reflecting both a rebound in travel and a shift in how visitors move around the country.
 

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According to the Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail), 6.06 million foreign passengers used the rail network last year, a 10.2 percent rise from 5.5 million a year earlier and the highest figure on record. As inbound tourism recovered after the pandemic, rail usage climbed in tandem. Of the 18.94 million foreign visitors to Korea last year, roughly one in three traveled by train.
 
Most began their journeys at Seoul Station before heading elsewhere. Korail data shows Seoul Station accounted for 27.4 percent of foreign train passengers, followed by Busan Station at 20 percent. Dongdaegu Station made up 4.6 percent, Daejeon Station 3.6 percent, Yongsan Station 3.3 percent, Suwon Station 3.2 percent, Pyeongtaek Station 3.1 percent and Gyeongju Station 2.9 percent.
 
The pattern points to more than a simple tourism rebound. It reflects a broader change in travel behavior. Where many visitors once limited their trips to Seoul, more are now using the rail network to explore the country.
 
That shift has been driven in part by rising global interest in Korea beyond its capital. It also reflects efforts to make rail travel easier for foreign visitors. Korail revamped its multilingual website in February last year to improve access and has expanded promotion of the Korail Pass, a rail pass designed for overseas travelers.
 
Booking options have widened as well. In addition to Korail’s own site, tickets are now available through global platforms such as WeChat and Alipay, which are popular among Chinese travelers, and the online travel agency Trip.com. This month, ticketing support was added on Klook, a platform widely used across North America, Europe and Southeast Asia.
 

A screen capture of the KTX website in English [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
Convenience has improved on the ground. At Seoul Station, a dedicated travel center for foreign visitors provides ticketing and transfer information using tablet-based AI translation tools. Ticket counters nationwide have also been upgraded with NFC systems, allowing payments with cards issued overseas.
 
The improvements are reflected in high satisfaction levels. A Korail survey last year found overall satisfaction among foreign passengers at 92.7 out of 100. About 65.5 percent said Korail’s services surpassed those in their home countries. Nearly all respondents, 96.7 percent, said they would use the service again on a future visit to Korea, and 97 percent said they would recommend it to others.
 
“We will continue refining our services so that getting around Korea becomes an enjoyable part of the trip, making the entire process — from booking and guidance to payment and transfers — easier and more intuitive,” a Korail spokesperson said.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JUN-YOUNG [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]