K-Tour Pass: 40% Off the KTX to Busan, and Is It Worth It?

Last checked: November 2026

If you're taking the KTX to Busan, the K-Tour Pass pays for itself on that one ticket: 40% off the standard fare saves about 21,700 won, and the pass costs 15,000 won. It's a pilot for foreign visitors, launched on October 1, 2026 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, and it also bundles a discount on the AREX Express from Incheon Airport, one free Busan attraction, and a WOWPASS card. I worked from the ministry's announcement and the Korea Tourism Organization's VISITKOREA page, and I don't sell the pass.

Price

15,000 won

Main discount

40% off the KTX to Busan

Use by

December 31, 2026

Buy on

Klook, HopnHop

Quick answer

• Going to Busan by KTX? Buy Pass 1. The KTX coupon alone saves more than the pass costs.
• Already buying a Korail Pass? Pass 2 takes 24,000 won off it.
• Every pass also includes 50% off one AREX Express ride (up to 6,000 won), free entry to one of 35 attractions, about 50 discount spots, and a WOWPASS card.
• Use it by December 31, 2026. The coupons and the mobile ticket expire then.

Pass 1 or Pass 2

Both cost 15,000 won and include the same shared benefits. They differ in one coupon.

• The Pass 1 train coupon covers the KTX, ITX, Saemaeul, and Mugunghwa trains. SRT trains aren't on the list.
• Where you buy decides what Pass 1 covers: on Klook you choose a train or a bus discount, and on HopnHop it's trains only.
• For Korail Pass prices, see Seoul to Busan.

Is it worth it?

How to use it

1. Buy the pass on Klook or HopnHop. It's for foreign visitors only.
2. Register the coupons and use them when you book your Busan train or bus and your AREX Express ticket.
3. Use the mobile ticket for the free attraction and the discount spots. Show the live barcode in the mobile web page.
4. Pick up the WOWPASS card if you want it (free, optional) at a K-Tour Pass kiosk: Incheon Airport, Gimpo Airport, Seoul Station, Busan Station, or Gimhae Airport. Enter your 8-digit voucher number and scan your passport.

The coupons and the mobile ticket expire on December 31, 2026. The WOWPASS card itself keeps working for six years from when it was made.

The official page doesn't say which date the December 31 limit applies to: the booking date or the day you travel. To be safe, plan to ride by December 31.

Screenshots may be refused. Attractions scan the barcode in the live mobile ticket, so a screenshot or a printout may not be accepted.

AREX Express discount

Every pass includes a 50% coupon for one AREX Express ride, the nonstop train between Incheon Airport and Seoul Station, up to 6,000 won off. The adult fare is 13,000 won, so you pay 7,000 won. How the Express differs from the all-stop train: AREX Express vs All-Stop.

Free attractions in Busan

Pick one of 35 places and visit it once. The about 50 discount spots can be used as often as you like. Some of the free places:

• Lotte World Busan (day pass)
• Songdo Marine Cable Car (Crystal Cruise round trip)
• Skyline Luge Busan (3 rides)
• Busan X the Sky, SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium, Arte Museum Busan, Busan Tower
• Club D Oasis spa (4 hours), Busan Diamond Bay yacht ride
• Hanbok rental in Gamcheon, a taekwondo class, Busan Museum of Movies
• A 25,000 won fish cake voucher at Goraesa or Samjin Amook, and a 20,000 won luggage storage voucher at ZIM CARRY Busan Station
• Gyeongju World (day pass), the one place outside Busan

The full list, with addresses, is on the VISITKOREA page (see Sources). Discount spots include three Olive Young stores in Busan (5% off 100,000 won or more, up to 10,000 won).

The WOWPASS card

• A prepaid card that works as a T-money transit card on subways and buses, and for paying in shops that take cards.
• It starts with no money on it. Top it up at a WOWPASS kiosk or in the WOWPASS app.
• The transit (T-money) balance is separate. Top it up at a convenience store or subway station, or move money from your WOWPASS balance in the app.
• The ministry says kiosks take won cash or foreign credit cards. VISITKOREA says kiosks take only won. Bring won cash to be safe.
• Already have a WOWPASS? You can still buy the pass and switch cards in the app. A lost card can be replaced at any WOWPASS kiosk for 4,000 won.

How WOWPASS compares with T-money and other cards: Which transit card to get.

Refunds and help

• You get a full refund only if you haven't used anything. No refund once you've registered or used a transport coupon, looked up the WOWPASS code, or used the mobile ticket at an attraction or shop.
• Ask for a refund where you bought it (Klook or HopnHop).
• Help: live chat at k1787.channel.io, every day 09:00–18:00.
• Children: free-entry rules differ by transport and attraction. Check the place you plan to use before you buy a pass for a child.

After December 31, 2026

The pass is a pilot, and its coupons and mobile ticket expire on December 31, 2026. As of November 3, 2026, I haven't found an announcement on whether it continues in 2027. The ministry says its 2027 budget plan puts 9 billion won into the K-Tour Pass, three times this year's, and that it will use what the pilot collects to link the pass to tourist regions built around regional airports. If you are booking a trip for January or later, don't count on today's pass, and check the VISITKOREA page first. I will update this page when the ministry announces the next step.