Korail Pass for Visitors: Prices, Seat Booking and Rules
The Korail Pass is a rail pass that only foreign visitors can buy. As of October 2026, Korail's English page lists four versions: 2, 3, 4 or 5 travel days, which you choose freely inside a 10-day window starting from the pass's start date. Prices run from 131,000 won (2 days, adult) to 275,000 won (5 days, adult). You need a valid passport and a credit card to buy one.
1. Prices by pass type
These are the prices on Korail's official page as of October 2026. Korail's home page also lists a notice titled "Notice (About KORAIL PASS)" whose body is an image and could not be read, so check it for recent changes; older blog posts and reseller sites may show other numbers.
| Pass | Adult (13+) | Child (6 to 12) | Cost per travel day (adult) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days | 131,000 won | 66,000 won | 65,500 won |
| 3 days | 186,000 won | 93,000 won | 62,000 won |
| 4 days | 234,000 won | 117,000 won | 58,500 won |
| 5 days | 275,000 won | 138,000 won | 55,000 won |
The last column is the pass price divided by travel days. Each extra day lowers the average, but only if you actually ride on those days.
Korail's page also says one child under 6 travels free with each adult aged 13 or older. A family of two adults, one 8-year-old and one 4-year-old buying 3-day passes would pay 186,000 + 186,000 + 93,000 = 465,000 won, and the 4-year-old needs no pass.
2. Who can buy it
Korail says any foreigner visiting Korea can use the pass and that it is unavailable to people with Korean nationality. The pass is personal. It can only be used by the person whose name is on it, and Korail says selling or transferring it to someone else is illegal and brings additional charges.
3. What it covers, and what it does not
The pass covers Korail passenger trains. Korail's home page lists KTX (including KTX-Sancheon and KTX-Eum) and regular trains such as ITX-Cheongchun, ITX-Saemaeul, Saemaeul, Mugunghwa, Nuriro and regular tourist trains. It does not cover:
- SRT trains
- Metropolitan (subway) trains
- Special tourist trains
Before you build an itinerary around a specific train, check the "KORAIL PASS information" box on the Korail home page, which repeats these exclusions.
4. How to buy and activate it
- Buy the pass on Korail's pass page ("Book Korail Pass"). A valid passport and a credit card are required. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) adds that the pass is also sold by designated tour agencies and at the Korail Tourist Information Centers in Seoul, Yongsan and Busan stations.
- Pick your travel days. Korail says you must choose your departure dates within 10 days of the pass's starting date. On the website you enter your pass number or email, open the pass under "Reservation Information", choose "Details", and add each departure date.
- Reserve seats under "My Ticket" and then "Seat Reservation".
5. Seat reservations
The pass does not hand you a seat automatically. Korail's pass page says seat reservations open two months before the departure date, and that you can select up to two tickets per person per day. The Korail home page, in its general ticket information, describes buying ordinary tickets from 07:00 one month before departure up to 20 minutes before departure on the website. These two figures come from different parts of the site, so look at the booking screen for the dates it actually allows on your travel day.
Other seat rules from Korail's pass page:
- If seats are sold out, you can board with a standing seat using a valid pass and your passport.
- You choose seats in economy class. First class costs extra: pass holders pay 50% of the first-class seat price for that route.
- You cannot reserve the same journey twice on the same date. To change the departure time, cancel the reserved seat before departure under "My Ticket" and then "Tickets", and book again.
6. Boarding and proof
Korail's rules say to board with a valid pass, your passport, and your seat reservation ticket if you made one. A screenshot of a ticket is not valid. The valid proof is the pass or reservation screen displayed when you enter the website on your phone.
7. Refunds and limits
According to Korail, refunds are only available before the pass's starting date. After that they are not possible, and the railway says it does not compensate for train delays or suspensions. The pass can also be restricted on specific dates, which Korail announces on its website. Misusing a pass can lead to the standard fare plus an additional charge of 10 to 30 times that fare.
8. Card payments: check first
Korail's English home page carries a notice dated August 21 (the year is not shown on the page), titled "Temporary Unavailable Foreign Credit Card Services." The notice body is shown as an image, so its details could not be read in text, and the page does not say whether the problem has been resolved. If you plan to buy online, check that notice and the booking page first rather than assuming your card will work.
9. Is a pass worth it?
The pass is not automatically cheaper. Korail does not publish a break-even point, and this guide does not use fares that cannot be traced to an official page. To decide, look up the single-ticket price for each leg of your plan on Korail's booking page, add them up, and compare the total with the pass price for the same number of travel days.
Korail's call center is +82-1599-7777, open 08:00 to 20:00 according to its pass page.
10. Key takeaways
- Korail Pass prices as of October 2026: 131,000 to 275,000 won for adults, about half for ages 6 to 12.
- Choose 2 to 5 travel days within a 10-day window; you need a passport and a credit card to buy.
- SRT, subway lines and special tourist trains are excluded.
- Reserve seats separately; first class costs 50% of the first-class fare.
- Refunds are only possible before the pass start date.
- Compare the total of your single fares with the pass price before buying.