[Tour Korea = Reporter Yoo Kyung-hoon] With the government fast-tracking its push to welcome 30 million international visitors, transportation innovation is picking up speed. Officials are rushing to build an integrated transport service that bundles train and bus reservations, payments, and tourist perks into one seamless platform.
The aim is to make getting around effortless—because smooth transport sets the tone for any trip—and to shift tourism demand away from the Seoul metro into Korea’s regions.
Public and private sectors unite as tourism-transport council kicks off
On April 10, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization convened a tourism‑transport public–private council to map out ways to make travel smoother for international visitors.
The meeting brought together major players from both the public and private sectors, including Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail), SR, Airport Railroad, the National Express Bus Transport Association, and companies such as Kakao Mobility, Naver, Klook, Socar, Lotte Rental, and Visa Korea.
From trains to buses — foreign bookings go digital
At the heart of the plan is a digital overhaul of transport services.
Korail already supports six languages—English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian—and offers real-time customer support.
Klook is partnering with Korail to launch a real-time rail booking service for foreign travelers in April. Visitors will be able to check train schedules and seat availability on apps and websites in real time and pay instantly.
The service will accept about 40 currencies and a range of international payment methods to lower payment barriers. The government plans to extend this system to express and intercity buses, bringing nationwide travel onto a single platform.
Rolling out a tourist pass to turn travel into spending
Officials are actively exploring a tourist pass that combines transportation and tourism benefits. The pass would bundle train and bus bookings with perks—like discounted attraction tickets—so the act of traveling itself drives local spending. This initiative is a central part of the regional tourism revitalization plan announced at the president-led expanded tourism strategy meeting in February.
QR payments, wider foreign-card acceptance — overhauling national transport infrastructure
Mobility for international visitors is improving fast. Since last year, authorities have been promoting super-regional buses and demand-responsive transport (DRT) connecting major transport hubs to local tourist sites in North and South Chungcheong provinces, strengthening regional transport networks.
Jeju city buses introduced foreign-card payment terminals in August of last year, and Seoul subway ticket machines began accepting foreign cards last month.
In addition, unmanned terminals supporting English, Japanese, and Chinese have been installed at 208 express and intercity bus terminals nationwide.
Planned rollouts include foreign-card payments for Busan’s urban rail by the end of 2026, QR payments on city buses in the second half of this year, and an open transport payment system by 2028.
A policy official at the ministry said, “Demand for travel to Korea is rising rapidly thanks to the spread of K-culture. To achieve sustainable growth in the tourism industry and reach the era of 30 million inbound visitors, it’s crucial to disperse tourism demand that’s currently concentrated in the Seoul area.” He added, “Through public–private cooperation, we will create a seamless travel environment from arrival to regional movement so visitors can explore anywhere in Korea with ease.”
