Starting in October, the booking period for KTX and other railway tickets will be extended from one month to two months prior to departure. This change is expected to enhance convenience for foreign tourists and domestic travelers planning long trips.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Railroad Corporation announced that beginning October 1, the booking period for KTX and other railway tickets will be expanded from the current one month before departure to two months.
This measure aims to allow both domestic and foreign tourists to book railway tickets in advance as they plan their travel itineraries.
While foreign tourists often purchase airline tickets two months in advance, they have faced challenges with railway tickets, which can only be booked one month ahead. With this change, travelers will be able to book both airline and railway tickets simultaneously.
Domestic travelers will also benefit, as they will have more flexibility in securing tickets during peak travel seasons.
Improvements in services for foreign tourists are also being implemented. As of August this year, 6.69 million foreign visitors utilized the railway, marking a 68% increase compared to the same period last year.
The current foreign-language webpage, which supports seven languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese, will add French, German, and Mongolian. By the end of the year, the service will be available in a total of ten languages.
Payment options will also be expanded. In addition to payments primarily through overseas credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, and UnionPay, a system is being developed to introduce global payment methods such as WeChat Pay and Alipay.
The extension of the railway booking period, along with enhancements in multilingual and convenient payment services, is expected to facilitate increased travel for foreign tourists in regional areas.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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