Holiday Train Fare Evasion Doubles in 5 Years... Around 20,000 Cases on Honam and Jeolla Lines

Jung Junho: "Fundamental Measures Needed, Such as Increasing Train Services"

Over the past five years, the number of fare evasion cases detected on trains during the holiday homecoming and return periods has more than doubled.

According to data on "Holiday Train Fare Evasion Status" submitted to Assemblyman Jung Junho of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Gwangju Buk-gu Gap) by Korea Railroad Corporation and SR, a total of 65,319 fare evasion cases were detected during the holiday periods from 2020 to last year.

Last year alone, 21,776 cases were detected during the holidays. This figure is more than double the 9,440 cases recorded in 2020, marking a significant increase over five years. The total amount of fares collected as a result of these detections was approximately 1.947 billion won.

By railway line, the Gyeongbu Line recorded the highest number of cases, with 33,938 cases accounting for 51.9% of the total. This was followed by the Honam Line with 13,493 cases (20.7%), and the Jeolla Line with 5,730 cases (8.8%).

Assemblyman Jung stated, "During the holidays, booking a train ticket is as difficult as picking a star from the sky, so it seems that boarding trains without tickets has become a customary practice for some people." He added, "Simply increasing fines may not be effective, so fundamental measures such as increasing the number of train services should be considered."