Gangwon Province and Korail Tourism Development to Cooperate on Revitalizing Rail Tourism in Gangwon

364,000 Passengers Used the Gangneung-Busan Railway in January and February Alone
Plans to Introduce Various Themed Trains, Including Marine, Mountain, and Pet-Friendly Services

On May 2, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province announced that Governor Jin Tae Kim met with Baeksin Kwon, CEO of Korail Tourism Development, at the provincial government’s Trade Consultation Office to discuss concrete cooperation plans to revitalize rail tourism in celebration of the 2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year.

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Governor Jin Tae Kim met with Baeksin Kwon, CEO of Korail Tourism Development, on the 2nd at the provincial government’s Trade Consultation Office to discuss concrete cooperation plans to revitalize rail tourism in celebration of the 2025-2026 Gangwon Visit Year. Photo by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office

Korail Tourism Development, which is responsible for tourism among Korail’s five subsidiaries, has been designated as the exclusive travel agency for domestic group tourists to Gangwon Province in 2025.

This meeting was arranged to combine Gangwon’s abundant tourism resources with Korail Tourism Development’s expertise in rail-based tourism operations, in order to jointly develop themed tourism products that link the province’s major rail networks and tourist attractions, and to systematically promote these products to attract more domestic and international tourists.

In particular, with the opening of the ITX Donghae Line connecting Gangneung and Busan on January 1 of this year, a new metropolitan economic zone with a population of 14 million has been formed, linking Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam, Daegu, Gyeongbuk, and the East Coast of Gangwon.

Since the opening of the line, the number of passengers over the two months of January and February this year reached approximately 364,000, and all train seats were sold out during the golden holiday period from May 1 to May 5, confirming the high demand for rail tourism.

Accordingly, Gangwon Province and Korail Tourism Development have agreed to jointly plan and operate rail tourism products featuring various themes, such as marine, mountain, security, and pet-friendly trains, and to actively carry out strategic marketing to attract tourists from both the Seoul metropolitan area and the Yeongnam region.

They also agreed to comprehensively review the effectiveness and feasibility of the project and to implement feasible tasks step by step. In addition, they discussed ways to operate joint promotional content using various platforms, including electronic displays inside trains and stations, as well as the Korail Tourism Development website.

Baeksin Kwon, CEO of Korail Tourism Development, stated, "We will work together with Gangwon Province to develop distinctive and differentiated train services so that more tourists will visit Gangwon during the Gangwon Visit Year."

Governor Jin Tae Kim said, "It costs trillions of won to build railways, so it is very important to make good use of them. Especially since this year is the Gangwon Visit Year and attracting tourists is critical, I ask for your full cooperation."