How to Book a KTX Train from Seoul to Busan: Korail Website, Korail+ App and Overseas Cards

KTX is short for Korea Train eXpress, Korea's high-speed train that links major cities such as Seoul and Busan quickly. This guide is for foreign travelers who want to take the KTX from Seoul to Busan. Older blog posts explain KTX and SRT separately, but since September 2026 the two have merged into one. We start with what changed, then cover how to book, payment problems, cancellation, the Korail Pass (코레일패스) and what to know when you board.

In the past, you took the KTX from Seoul Station (서울역) and the SRT from Suseo Station (수서역), and each had its own booking site and app. From September 1, 2026, the Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail, 코레일) merged with SR (에스알), the company that ran the SRT, and the two now operate high-speed rail together.

• Booking: You can search and book trains leaving from Seoul Station and Suseo Station on the same website and app.
• Fares: High-speed rail fares are on average 10% lower than the old KTX fares. From Seoul Station to Busan, standard class is around 55,000 won. It varies by train, time and day of the week.
• App: The Korail Talk (코레일톡) app has become the Korail+ (코레일+) app. Update it in your app store or install it fresh.

If you came across an old post telling you to install a separate SRT app, you no longer need to follow it.

For foreign visitors, the Korail website is the simplest option. You can pay with a credit card issued overseas on both the Korail website and the Korail+ app. The Korail website supports 8 languages: Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian. The Korail+ app supports 7, everything except Indonesian.

Online booking opens 2 months before departure, at 7:00 a.m.

Weekend trains: Weekend trains sell out quickly once the departure date is within a week. If you want to travel on a weekend, book at least 10 days ahead.

Avoid the major holiday periods: Korea has two big holidays, Seollal (설날, Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (추석, the autumn harvest holiday). Seollal usually falls between late January and mid-February, and Chuseok usually between mid-September and early October. They follow the lunar calendar, so the dates change every year. The days around each holiday are also days off, and many Koreans travel to their hometowns and families all at once. Train tickets are very hard to get during these periods, so it is best not to plan train travel around them. Before you fix your travel dates, check the Seollal and Chuseok dates for that year. Tickets for these holidays go on sale on a separate schedule and sometimes require membership registration, so check Korail's notices.

Checking the dates: The button below runs a Google search for the Korean calendar. In the results, check the Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok holiday dates for that year.

• On the Korail website, enter your departure station, arrival station, date and number of passengers, then search.
• From the train list, choose a time and a seat class (standard class (일반실) or first class (특실)).
• Enter your email and password. You will use them later to view your ticket, so enter them correctly and write them down.
• Pay with an overseas-issued credit card.
• Once payment is done, you can view your ticket with your email and password. Korean high-speed rail has no gate where your ticket is checked before boarding. You just get on the train and sit in the seat printed on your ticket.

Filter for KTX only: Searches also show regular trains such as ITX, Saemaeul (새마을호) and Mugunghwa (무궁화호). On both the Korail website and the Korail+ app, you can choose KTX only in the search options. In the Korail+ app you can also choose direct trains with no transfer or trains that need a transfer. If you do not choose an option, every train is shown, so check the train name too.

Before you pay, look once more to make sure the departure station, time and arrival station are right. Even within Seoul, Seoul Station and Suseo Station are two different stations.

The KTX goes beyond Seoul and Busan and reaches cities all over the country. If you arrive at Incheon Airport, you can also use it to travel from Seoul to other cities. The blue boxes are the departure stations in the Seoul area. Each train stops at different stations, so not every train stops at every station. Within Seoul, some trains can also be boarded at Yongsan Station (용산역) or Yeongdeungpo Station (영등포역) instead of Seoul Station or Suseo Station. However, most trains pass through these two stations without stopping. Trains departing from Suseo Station do not stop at Yeongdeungpo Station.

The departure station in the Seoul area depends on the route and the time of day. To find the exact departure station, enter your departure and arrival stations on the Korail website or the Korail+ app.

Since the merger, you can book trains from both Seoul Station and Suseo Station on the same website and app. Choose based on the station closest to your accommodation and the time of day you want.

On the booking screen, choose Seoul or Suseo as the departure station, and Busan (or Gupo, or Bujeon for the Jungang Line) as the arrival station.

Here is how to check the departure station when you book, step by step.

• When you search, choose Seoul or Suseo in the departure station field. Search Seoul Station and Suseo Station separately and compare the times and fares.
• In the train list, check each train's departure station and departure time.
• The departure station is also shown on the screen just before payment and on your ticket after payment. Check once more whether it says Seoul or Suseo.
• When you travel, go to the station printed on your ticket. If you go to Suseo Station with a Seoul Station ticket, you cannot take that train.

In Busan, most trains arrive at Busan Station (부산역). Be sure to check that the arrival station on the booking screen is Busan. Some trains stop at other Busan stations such as Gupo Station (구포역) or Bujeon Station (부전역). The Jungang Line KTX departing from Cheongnyangni Station (청량리역) arrives at Bujeon Station. Busan Station connects directly to subway Line 1. We cover how to ride the subway in our guide How to Ride the Busan Subway.

The government and Korail plan to keep the fare level that was lowered at the September 2026 merger for 3 years, that is, until around August 2029. After that, fares may have gone up, so treat the amounts in this guide as a reference only.

For fares on trains departing from Suseo Station, check the booking screen. The amount shown on the screen just before payment is the one that counts.

You can cancel until the departure time through the MY TICKET menu on the Korail website or in the Korail+ app. After the departure time, you can get a refund only at a station ticket counter, and after the arrival time no refund is possible.

The fee is a percentage deducted from the fare you paid. The minimum fee of 400 won is not charged if you cancel within 7 days of the day you bought the ticket. After departure, you can cancel only at a station ticket counter.

The fee rules may differ during special periods such as the major holidays. Special-offer and discounted tickets can have different conditions, so check the refund information on the Korail website before you cancel.

The Korail Pass (코레일패스) is a pass that lets foreign visitors ride Korean trains for a set period. Korean nationals cannot buy it. You need your passport and a credit card to buy it.

• Within 10 days of the start date, you choose which 2 to 5 days to use.
• You can reserve up to 2 seats per day, and if there are no seats, you can board with a standing ticket (입석) using the pass and your passport.
• For first class (특실), you pay an extra 50% of the first-class fare for that section.
• Refunds are possible only before the pass start date.
• Guidance on whether the pass works on trains departing from Suseo Station, which used to be SRT trains, is changing. Check with the Korail customer center (+82-1599-7777) before you buy.

A single round trip from Seoul to Busan in standard class from Seoul Station is around 55,000 won each way, so about 110,000 won round trip, which is cheaper than the 131,000 won 2-day pass. Compare only if you will be touring several cities over two or more days.

• Check whether your card issuer's app or a text message is asking you to approve an overseas payment. Some card issuers block overseas payments. In many cases the cause is the setting at your home card issuer, not Korea's card system. Before you leave, check with your card issuer that overseas payments work.
• Try again with a different card.
• Enter your name exactly as it appears in English on your passport.
• If it still fails, the surest way is to buy at a station ticket counter with your passport and card.
• The Korail customer center (+82-1599-7777) offers help in English. It is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Trains run on time: In Korea, both subways and trains largely keep to their departure and arrival times. High-speed trains cover long distances, though, so they sometimes arrive late, mostly within 10 minutes.

Tickets are checked: It can look like nobody checks tickets on the KTX. That is because when you are in your own seat, the conductor checks the seat information on a handheld device and simply walks past. But tickets really are checked. If you are sitting in a seat that is not yours, you will be asked to show your ticket. Standing tickets are checked too. If you are caught riding without a valid ticket, you may have to pay a large penalty on top of the fare, so be sure to sit in your own seat.