Travelers who failed to secure a train ticket for this year's Chuseok holiday still have a chance. Korea Railroad Corp., or Korail, began selling leftover seats on the 18th at discounts of up to 50%, after the first holiday ticket sale since the merger of the KTX and SRT high-speed rail services drew a queue of as many as 750,000 people. One offer lets four passengers ride the KTX one-way for a combined 99,000 won ($71).
750,000 in Queue Despite KTX-SRT Merger
This year's Chuseok ticket sales ran from the 7th through the 11th. As the first holiday since the KTX-SRT merger, Korail expanded both seat capacity and its booking system, but access delays recurred.
The merger with SRT added about 16,000 seats a day on average, Korail said. The company also increased its booking servers to 60 from 11 and expanded network bandwidth sixfold. Despite more than 230 simulation tests beforehand, the queue surged to 750,000 at one point once sales opened.
A shorter holiday this year is also cited as a reason demand was concentrated. Last year's Chuseok break stretched to as long as 10 days, but this year's four-day holiday pushed travelers into a narrower window.
Ko Jun-ho, a professor at Hanyang University's Graduate School of Urban Studies, told Newsis that unlike air travel, which is booked through multiple channels, rail bookings in Korea run through Korail alone, making congestion inevitable. He said authorities should consider staggering booking periods or dispersing sales channels by route.
Up to Half Off for Those Who Missed Out
Those shut out of the scramble can still target the remaining seats. From 10 a.m. on the 18th, Korail has been selling special discount tickets on a first-come, first-served basis, using unsold seats on trains running during the Chuseok special transport period.
The offer covers 793 trains operating from the 23rd through the 27th, excluding Chuseok day itself on the 25th. Tickets on KTX services and conventional trains with available seats — including ITX-Saemaeul, ITX-Maeum and Mugunghwa — are discounted 30% to 50% from regular fares. A standard-seat ticket from Seoul Station to Busan Station on the KTX costs 54,000 won.
Discounts run deeper for groups. A "99,000 won for four" package lets four passengers travel one-way on the KTX for that amount. On KTX-Eum services on the Gangneung Line and Jungang Line, the fare is 49,000 won one-way for four. The tickets can be used not only for trips home but also for reverse trips bringing parents to the city, or for holiday travel.
Purchases are capped. Regular discount tickets are limited to six per person per transaction and 12 in total. The group package is limited to one set per transaction and three sets in total.
Sold on a First-Come Basis via App and Website
The discount tickets are available on Korail's website and its mobile app, Korail+. The app, launched in August, is an integrated platform that replaced the previous Korail Talk app.
Users enter departure and arrival stations, travel dates and the number of passengers, then search for and book the train they want. Departure and arrival times, travel duration and fares are shown for each train, and discount coupons or Korail mileage can be applied at checkout.
Bookings on the Korail website follow the same steps: enter stations, dates and passenger numbers, select a train and pay. Non-members can also buy tickets after verifying their identity through simple authentication services such as NAVER or Kakao.
Buying tickets for family members or friends is also possible. The "send ticket" function on Korail+ allows a purchased ticket to be forwarded to another person by text message or KakaoTalk.
Lee Min-sung, head of Korail's passenger business division, said the company is offering special discounts on available seats for the Chuseok holiday and hopes travelers will use them for family gatherings and holiday trips to enjoy a full holiday season.
