KORAIL Raises Surcharge for Passengers Without Tickets
Mandatory Disembarkation at Nearest Station Even After Paying Penalty
During the Chuseok holiday period, passengers who board the KTX without a ticket will be required to pay a penalty that is twice as high as before and must disembark from the train immediately.
On October 5, Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) announced that starting this month, the surcharge for passengers boarding without a ticket will be increased from the previous 0.5 times the fare to 1 time the fare.
Previously, if a passenger boarded without a ticket on the Seoul-Busan route, they would pay a total of 89,700 won, which included the standard fare of 59,800 won and a surcharge of 29,900 won. However, beginning this month, the surcharge will increase to 59,800 won, bringing the total payment to 119,600 won.
This measure aims to eradicate the practice of boarding without a ticket during holiday periods when securing a seat is difficult, and to improve convenience for genuine users. KORAIL stated that it will strictly enforce these rules to completely prevent illegal boarding during the holidays.
The same surcharge will apply if a passenger extends their travel section while on board. For example, if a passenger only has a ticket for the Seoul-Gwangmyeong section but travels all the way to Busan, they will need to pay an additional 115,400 won, which consists of the fare for the Gwangmyeong-Busan section (57,700 won) plus an equivalent surcharge (57,700 won).
During the holiday period, boarding without a ticket will be strictly prohibited. During the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, passengers without a ticket will not be allowed to board, and if caught, they will be forced to disembark at the nearest station. Even if the penalty is paid, continuing to the destination will not be permitted.
KORAIL will also strengthen its crackdown on illegal ticket scalping. According to Article 10-2 of the Railroad Business Act, reselling tickets above face value or brokering such sales is illegal, and habitual or commercial offenders may be fined up to 10 million won.
KORAIL is working with major online secondhand trading platforms to closely monitor keywords such as "Chuseok train ticket" and "KTX reservation," and is deleting illegal transaction posts and restricting user access.
Additionally, KORAIL operates a reporting channel for ticket scalping on its website and the mobile app "KORAIL Talk." If a report is confirmed to be true, the informant will receive a coupon for a 50% discount on train fares.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
