How to book KTX as a foreigner (and change or refund tickets)

You’ve planned a few days in Seoul and a couple in Busan, and the KTX is obviously the way to get between them. Then you try to buy the ticket. The app wants a Korean phone number, your card gets declined at the payment screen, and a reseller site wants twice the price. Plenty of visitors have ended up there.

2026 fixed a lot of this. There’s now a straightforward way to book in English with a foreign card, fares dropped in September, and the KTX and SRT stopped being two separate systems. Here’s how it works now.

The short version

Book on Klook unless you have a reason not to. It’s connected live to Korail’s seat inventory, takes foreign cards in your own currency, and puts a digital ticket on your phone. A standard seat from Seoul to Busan costs 54,400 won. Book a week or two ahead for weekends and holidays, since seats open one month out and popular trains sell out. Skip the Korail Pass unless you’ll ride long distances on most days of your pass.

Planning the full trip? Our Seoul and Busan itinerary builds around the train times.

Your booking options

Klook launched real-time Korail booking on April 20, 2026, with backing from the Korea Tourism Organization. You pick your train and seat from live availability, pay immediately, and board with the digital ticket. No voucher exchange. It covers KTX plus slower Saemaul and Mugunghwa trains. In the first weeks, Busan was the most-booked destination, followed by Gyeongju and Daegu.

Korail’s own channels are where Koreans book. The old letskorail.com English site now forwards to korail.com, and the Korail Pass is still sold through Korail’s English pages. The Korail Talk app was replaced by Korail+ on August 3, 2026; updating Korail Talk gets you the new app. Payment with foreign cards on Korail’s own channels has been hit and miss for visitors, which is why we point most people to Klook first. See our foreign card guide for the wider picture.

How to book, step by step

1. Pick your station. In Seoul, Busan-bound KTX trains leave from Seoul Station, and trains toward Gwangju often use Yongsan. Former SRT trains leave from Suseo in Gangnam. All of them now show up in one search.
2. Check dates early. Seats open one month before departure. Friday evenings, Sunday afternoons and holiday weekends go first.
3. Choose a seat class. Standard (일반실) is fine for a two to three hour ride. First class (특실) has wider seats and costs more.
4. Pay and keep the ticket. Keep the live ticket in the app or booking and the confirmation email. A screenshot of a ticket isn’t always accepted, so don’t rely on one.
5. Board. Find your car number on the ticket and the matching number on the platform. There are no ticket gates; staff check on board.

If every seat is gone, look for standing or unreserved seats, which Korail said it would expand after the merger. They’re cheaper and you’ll get on, but you may stand.

Fares and times, Seoul to Busan

On September 1, 2026, KTX fares dropped by about 10% on average to match the old SRT prices. The cut is planned for three years.

• Seoul to Busan, standard: about 54,000 won (was 59,800 won). Reports give 53,820 or 54,400 won depending on the station, so check the exact fare when you book.
• Yongsan to Gwangju Songjeong, standard: 42,000 won (was 46,800 won)
• Fastest Seoul–Busan trains: about 2 hours 10 minutes on the KTX-Cheongryong, with other services taking up to around 2 hours 40 minutes

There’s also a slower KTX-Eum route from Cheongnyangni in northeast Seoul to Bujeon in Busan via the Jungang Line. Since December 30, 2025 the fastest run takes 3 hours 38 minutes. Only worth it if you want stops like Andong along the way.

KTX vs SRT after the merger

Until this year, two companies ran high-speed trains. Korail ran KTX from Seoul Station and Yongsan, and SR ran the slightly cheaper SRT from Suseo in Gangnam, with separate apps and separate bookings.

That ended on September 1, 2026. Korail absorbed SR, the SRT trains were renamed KTX-Sancheon, and KTX fares came down to the old SRT level. In practice for you:

• Pick the departure station closest to your hotel. Staying in Gangnam or Jamsil? Suseo is usually easier than crossing the city to Seoul Station.
• Both stations appear in the same search on Korail+ and other Korail channels.
• The Korail Pass page still lists SRT as excluded. Check whether Suseo departures are covered before relying on the pass for them.

Changing and refunding tickets

Since the merger, Korail lets you change a ticket without a fee to another train up to 7 days before or after your original date, as long as you do it at least 30 minutes before departure. Members who cancel within 10 minutes of paying get their money back without a penalty.

Cancellation fees otherwise depend on timing. For Friday to Sunday and public holiday trains, the rules since May 28, 2025 are:

• Two or more days before: 400 won
• The day before: 5%
• Departure day, until three hours before: 10%
• Final three hours: 20%
• Up to 20 minutes after departure: 30%

On a Busan ticket, cancelling in the last three hours costs about a fifth of the fare. Weekday trains follow a separate schedule, and the exact fee shows before you confirm a cancellation. If you booked through Klook, change or cancel there, and check its terms when you book.

The Korail Pass

Korail still sells the pass to foreign visitors, with unlimited rides on Korail trains for a set number of days:

You still need seat reservations, which open a month ahead, with up to two reserved trips per day. A return Seoul–Busan trip costs 108,800 won at today’s fares, so the 2-day pass loses money on the classic trip. It starts to pay off if you’re doing something like Seoul to Gyeongju to Busan to Jeonju and back in three days. Refunds are only possible before the pass starts.

Mistakes that catch visitors out

Buying from resellers. The Korea Tourism Organization says some visitors lost money buying from unauthorized sellers. Stick to Klook or Korail.

Going to the wrong Seoul station. Seoul Station, Yongsan, Suseo and Cheongnyangni all send trains south. Your ticket names one.

Leaving weekend trains to the last minute. Seats open a month out, and Friday and Sunday trains go first.

Cancelling late on a weekend. The penalty doubles from 10% to 20% in the final three hours.

Assuming the Korail Pass saves money. Run the numbers first. For a single round trip, it doesn’t.

What we’d do

Seoul and Busan, one round trip: book both legs on Klook as soon as your dates are firm. Standard class, no pass.

Staying in Gangnam: search for departures from Suseo. It saves a cross-city subway ride with luggage.

A rail-heavy week (Gyeongju, Busan, Jeonju, Gangneung): price your trips one by one, then compare with the 3-day or 5-day pass.

Flexible plans: book anyway and use the free change rule to move your train up to 30 minutes before departure.

Deciding where to go with your train days? See our Busan vs Jeju guide and day trips from Seoul.

Questions people ask

Can foreigners book KTX tickets online?

Yes. Klook connects directly to Korail's reservation system and takes foreign cards in more than 40 currencies. Korail also sells tickets through its own website and the Korail+ app, and at station ticket counters.

How much is the KTX from Seoul to Busan?

About 54,000 won in standard class since September 1, 2026, when KTX fares were cut by about 10% on average. The cut is planned for three years.

What happened to the SRT?

Korail and SR merged on September 1, 2026. Former SRT trains now run under the KTX brand as KTX-Sancheon, still mostly from Suseo Station in Gangnam, and you book them in the same app as other KTX trains.

How much does it cost to cancel a KTX ticket?

It depends on the day and how close to departure you cancel. For Friday to Sunday and holiday trains, it's 400 won two or more days out, 5% the day before, 10% on the day until three hours before, and 20% in the last three hours.

Is the Korail Pass worth it?

Only if you'll take several long train rides in a few days. A 2-day pass is 131,000 won, more than a Seoul–Busan return at 108,800 won.

How we checked this

Change log

• October 9, 2026 First published.

Sources

1. The Korea Herald: Klook adds live Korail train booking (2026-05-06)
2. The Korea Herald: Klook's Korail booking drives travel beyond Seoul (2026-05-19)
3. TTG Asia: Klook integrates South Korea's rail network (2026-05-11)
4. Korail: KORAIL PASS (checked 2026-10-09)
5. Hankyung: Seoul–Busan KTX 54,400 won from September 1 (2026-08-31)
6. Kyunghyang Shinmun: KTX and SRT integrated from September, fares cut 10% (2026-08-06)
7. Seoul Shinmun: KTX-SRT reintegration, fares 10% lower for three years (2026-08-03)
8. The Korea Times: Korea approves KORAIL-SR merger (2026-08-02)
9. Kyunghyang Shinmun: weekend KTX cancellation fees rise from May 28 (2025-04-27)
10. Stars and Stripes Korea: new KTX-Cheongryong trains shorten Busan–Seoul times (2024-05-02)

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.