KTX Tickets Can Now Be Booked 2 Months Ahead (From Oct 1, 2026)

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Last checked: October 4, 2026 · Sources: Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport press release (Sept 20, 2026) and Korean news reports citing Korail — linked below.

Short answer: Starting October 1, 2026, KTX and SRT tickets open 2 months before departure at 7:00 a.m. Korea time instead of 1 month. If you are buying your flight to Korea about two months out, you can now lock in your KTX seats at the same time.

What changed

Before From Oct 1, 2026
How early you can book 1 month before departure 2 months before departure
Which trains KTX, SRT, others KTX and SRT (now one integrated service). ITX-Saemaeul / Mugunghwa: not announced yet
Opening time 7:00 a.m. KST 7:00 a.m. KST, 2 months before departure
Purchase limit — 20 tickets per member per day, 10 per train (anti-scalping)
Languages on the foreigner booking site 7 (incl. English, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese) 10 by end of 2026 (adding French, German, Mongolian)
Payment for foreigners Foreign credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay) Same, WeChat Pay / Alipay are being developed — no launch date yet

The government’s stated reason is simple: many foreign visitors buy flights about two months before the trip, but could only book trains one month ahead.

Why this matters for your trip

  • Holiday trains sell out first. Seats for the Christmas and year-end period now open in early October, not November.
  • Plan the whole itinerary in one sitting. Flight, hotel, and Seoul–Busan KTX can be booked the same week.
  • Fares are already lower. Since Sept 1, 2026, KTX and SRT run as one integrated service and KTX fares were cut about 10% to SRT level. Example: Seoul–Busan standard fare went from ₩59,800 to ₩54,400.

Good to know

  • Day one was special. On Oct 1 only, trains running Nov 1 – Dec 1 all opened at once at 10:00 a.m. From then on, each new date opens at 7:00 a.m.
  • ITX-Saemaeul / Mugunghwa. Officials have not said whether regular trains follow the same 2-month window. Check the booking calendar before you count on it.
  • Major holiday tickets (Seollal, Chuseok) have always had their own separate booking days. Expect that to continue.

Example: for a train on Dec 20, booking opens Oct 20 at 7:00 a.m. KST (that is 11:00 p.m. the previous day in London, 6:00 p.m. in New York).

How foreigners book (quick version)

  1. Use Korail’s foreign-language booking website (English available). Korean domestic users now book through the integrated Korail+ (코레일+) app, which replaced separate KTX/SRT booking from Sept 1, 2026.
  2. Pay with a foreign Visa / Mastercard / UnionPay card.
  3. Keep the ticket QR on your phone; no printing needed.

(A full step-by-step guide to paying with a foreign card is coming next on this site.)

Sources