Foreign tourists to get intercity bus discounts for easier travel beyond Seoul

South Korea is rolling out a month-long discount program on express and intercity bus tickets for foreign tourists, aiming to make regional travel easier and draw visitors beyond Seoul.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization launched the initiative Monday evening, running through July 14, in partnership with international travel platforms Klook and Hanpass. The program offers foreign tourists discounted ticket bookings on express and intercity buses across the country.

One of the most persistent complaints among foreign visitors has been the difficulty of using intercity transport outside Seoul. According to the Korea Bus Terminal Operators Association, foreign ridership reached approximately 382,000 in the first quarter of this year — up 32.2 percent from the same period last year — following the full introduction of overseas card payments in July 2024. Awareness of online booking platforms for express and intercity buses remains low among foreign visitors, however. The ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization had already taken a first step on May 29, producing multilingual transport information content and distributing it through overseas tourism promotion platforms. The latest initiative goes further by offering direct discounts to actively publicize online booking options.

The program runs through the Tourism Transport Public-Private Council, operated by the ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization. Council member Klook is providing discounts through its express bus booking service, while Hanpass is offering joint discounts through both its intercity and express bus booking services. Other council members include Korail, SR, Airport Railroad, the National Express Bus Transport Association, Korail Tourism Development, T-money Mobility, Kakao Mobility, SoCar, Lotte Rental, Visa Korea and Naver.

Under the program, the Korea Tourism Organization is providing a 5,000-won ($3.60) instant-use discount coupon at the time of booking, while Hanpass is offering an additional 4,000-won ($2.90) discount. Klook is giving away a free travel eSIM to users who book tickets through its platform. The combined package of fare savings and connectivity support is designed to improve the overall travel experience for foreign visitors.

"Foreign tourist arrivals have been hitting record highs every month from January through April this year," said Kang Jeong-won, director general of tourism policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. "The ministry will continue to work closely with relevant agencies to build an environment where foreign tourists can travel across the entire country with greater ease."