Who this is for

Use this guide if you already hold a KTX or other KORAIL ticket and your plans change, you expect to miss the train, or you need to request a refund. SRT is a separate operator; check SRT rules separately.

If you know before departure

KORAIL provides an official foreign-language Check/Refund Ticket path for online bookings. If you can no longer travel, deal with the ticket before the scheduled departure whenever possible and review the amount shown before confirming the refund.

For a ticket bought at a station, KORAIL's current station-ticket return page says the online return request is available only up to the departure time.

If the train has already departed

KORAIL says station-purchased tickets after departure must be handled at a station rather than through that online station-ticket return request. Do not assume the same online button remains available after departure.

Do not freeze one penalty table into your itinerary

Refund deductions can depend on timing, ticket type and special travel periods. Check the live KORAIL rule and the amount displayed for your own ticket instead of relying on an old screenshot or blog table.

Practical steps

  1. Confirm that the ticket is KORAIL/KTX, not SRT.
  2. Open the official KORAIL ticket check/refund path as soon as plans change.
  3. Check the departure time and the refund amount before confirming.
  4. If departure has passed or the online path does not apply, go to a staffed KORAIL station counter.
  5. Keep the ticket or booking reference available until the case is resolved.

Payment timing

KORAIL's station-ticket return page notes that credit-card refund processing can take several business days depending on the card process. A refund confirmation and the money appearing back on the account are not necessarily simultaneous.