[Exclusive] Korail and SR Employees Get 'Train Free Pass'... "Annual SRT Free Fare Costs 950 Million KRW"

Despite Board of Audit Criticism, System Loopholes Persist
No Way to Verify Train Use Beyond Commute Purpose
Rep. Yukyungjun: "Must Check Boarding Sections and Attendance Records to Prevent Personal Use"

High-speed train entering Gangneung Station

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] It has been revealed that there are no regulations or administrative systems in place to detect when employees of Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and SR, the operator of the Suseo High-Speed Railway (SRT), use trains for personal purposes.

According to data submitted by KORAIL and SR to the office of Yoo Kyung-joon, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the People Power Party, both organizations allow free rides by showing employee ID cards after boarding, making it impossible to verify usage for personal reasons or purposes other than commuting. Since tickets are not separately issued nor are usage sections restricted, monitoring of employees' free usage is not being conducted.

According to the Board of Audit and Inspection's audit results in September this year, as of November last year, the estimated annual fare for SR employees' free commuting use of the SRT was approximately 950 million KRW, averaging about 18 million KRW per week.

Furthermore, there are no measures to disperse or encourage free usage by employees during commuting hours, raising concerns that if many employees use the service intensively during these times, excessive standing passengers may occur, causing inconvenience to customers.

The above photo is not related to the article. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

In fact, when the lawmaker's office reviewed the SRT free ride usage records of employees from the 1st to the 4th of this month, the boarding times were not confirmed, making it impossible to determine whether the usage was personal or during commuting hours.

Moreover, in the case of KTX, which still grants boarding benefits to employees' children and direct descendants, only basic personnel information is reflected in the QR code, so verification of unauthorized boarding is not possible.

Assemblyman Yoo Kyung-joon stated, "KORAIL and SR should prevent personal use by verifying boarding sections, work types, and attendance records when scanning QR codes, as proposed to the lawmaker's office," adding, "They should conduct a full survey of the number of commuters and usage sections, monitor usage during commuting hours, and implement staggered commuting hours to minimize customer inconvenience."