Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) announced on the 26th that it will conduct reservations for Lunar New Year train tickets online (PC·mobile) and by phone (customer center) from the 6th to the 9th of next month.
On February 8, a day before the Lunar New Year holiday, travelers are boarding trains at Seoul Station. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
The reservation targets trains operating from January 24 to February 2 next year. Reservations will be conducted non-face-to-face, and online non-members must sign up in advance.
KORAIL will hold separate reservations for transportation-vulnerable groups from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the 6th and 7th of next month. This applies to seniors aged 65 and over, registered disabled persons under the Welfare of Disabled Persons Act, and national merit recipients (eligible for transportation support). On the 6th, tickets for the Gyeongbu, Gyeongjeon, Donghae, Daegu, Chungbuk, Jungbu Naeryuk, and Gyeongbuk lines can be reserved, and on the 7th, tickets for the Honam, Jeolla, Gangneung, Janghang, Jungang, Taebaek, Yeongdong, Seohae, and Gyeongchun lines can be reserved. Disabled persons and national merit recipients (eligible for transportation support) must register in advance.
If you are not familiar with using the internet, you can make reservations by phone. After phone registration, you must visit any station nationwide to verify your ID and issue the ticket. Tickets reserved during this period will be separately marked with the phrase "Advance Reservation."
Reservations on the 8th and 9th of next month are open to all citizens. The reservation dates by line are the 8th for the Gyeongbu, Gyeongjeon, Donghae, Daegu, Chungbuk, Jungbu Naeryuk, and Gyeongbuk lines, and the 9th for the Honam, Jeolla, Gangneung, Janghang, Jungang, Taebaek, Yeongdong, Seohae, and Gyeongchun lines. Mobile reservations require clicking the link provided on KORAIL Talk to connect to the dedicated holiday reservation website or entering the address directly in a web browser.
The payment deadline for transportation-vulnerable group reservations is midnight on the 15th of next month, and for reservations open to all citizens, it is from 3 p.m. on the 9th to midnight on the 12th. Tickets not paid for will be automatically canceled and allocated to those on the waiting list. Unsold remaining seats can be purchased from 3 p.m. on the 9th of next month through the website, KORAIL Talk, station counters, and other online and offline channels just like regular tickets.
KORAIL plans to strengthen refund penalties for tickets during the Lunar New Year special transportation period (January 24 to February 2 next month) to minimize no-shows and supply seats to actual users. Currently, a minimum penalty of 400 KRW is deducted up to one day before departure; this will change to up to two days before departure, and from two days to one day before departure, the penalty will increase to 5% of the ticket price. Additionally, 10% will be applied up to three hours before departure, 20% up to the departure time, and 30% up to 20 minutes after departure.
A KORAIL official said, "There have been many no-shows where tickets were secured in advance but the trains were not used or tickets were refunded just before departure," adding, "Strengthening refund penalties will encourage early return of unused seats, helping actual users secure seats."
Sanctions to prevent unfair ticket monopolization using macro programs will also be strengthened. Previously, suspected macro users were suspended for 20 minutes, but from this holiday, suspension measures will be intensified according to the number of detections, and membership will be terminated upon the third detection. Once membership is terminated, re-registration will be impossible for three years, and KORAIL membership benefits will not be available.
Illegal ticket trading that violates the Railroad Business Act, such as reselling tickets at prices higher than the purchase price, will be strictly dealt with. KORAIL is cooperating with major online secondhand trading platforms to closely monitor suspicious posts and will request police investigations and operate a permanent illegal ticket report board. Especially from this holiday, KORAIL plans to restrict social network service (SNS) open chat rooms used for illegal ticket trading in cooperation with the government.
KORAIL President Han Moon-hee said, "We have prepared no-show prevention measures such as adjusting ticket refund penalties so that those who truly need to use trains during the holiday can do so, and we will prevent illegal ticket trading by strengthening macro sanctions. Since the Lunar New Year special transportation period is long, we will make every effort to ensure safe train operations."
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