how to take trains in south korea

South Korea has an excellent but not comprehensive train network operated by Korail.  Trains are clean, comfortable and punctual, and just about every station has a sign in Korean and English. Trains are the best option for long-distance travel.

If you plan to travel by train a lot over a short period consider buying a ‘KR pass’ – see the website for details.

The fastest train is the Korea Train Express (KTX). A grade down are Saemaeul services, which also only stop in major towns. Mugunghwa trains are comfortable and fast but stop more often.

Many trains have a train cafe where you not only buy drinks and snack foods but also surf the internet, play computer games, even sing karaoke. If a train is standing-room only, hanging out in the train cafe for the journey is the best way to go.

The full range of discounts is complicated and confusing. For fares and schedules see the Korail website (www.letskorail.com). KTX trains are 40% more expensive than Saemaul trains (and KTX 1st class is another 40%). Saemaul 1st class is 22% more than the standard Saemaul fare. Saemaul standard fares are 50% more than Mugunghwa class. KTX tickets are discounted 7% to 20% if you buy them seven to 30 days before departure. Tickets are discounted 15% from Monday to Friday, and ipseokpyo (standing tickets) are discounted 15% to 30% depending on the length of the journey; with a standing ticket, you are allowed to sit on any unoccupied seat. Children travel for half price any time; over 65-year-olds receive a 30% discount Monday to Friday.

The railway ticketing system is computerised and you can buy tickets up to a month in advance online, on the Korail app KorailTalk (from the Apple App Store or Google Play), at train stations and many travel agencies. Seat reservations are sensible and necessary on weekends, holidays and other busy times.

Foreigners can buy a Korail Pass (www.letskorail.com) at overseas travel agencies or online; it offers unlimited rail travel (including KTX services) for one (₩81,000), three (₩113,000), five (₩168,000) or seven (₩195,000) consecutive days; there is also a ‘select pass’ that allows you to select either two (₩102,000) or four (₩154,000) days within a 10-day window, without having to travel on consecutive days. Children (four to 12 years) receive a 50% discount, and youths (13 to 25 years old) receive a 20% discount.

However, distances in Korea are not great, and trains don’t go everywhere, so the pass is unlikely to save you much, if any, money unless you plan to shuttle more frequently than a Lonely Planet researcher back and forth across the country.