Mountain ridges in Seoraksan National Park seen from the Bongjeongam viewpoint, with trail information boards in the foreground
Bongjeongam, Seoraksan · Nov 2024

Practical Korea · checked by a local

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Transport, bookings, hiking and festivals, explained from the official Korean sources. Every guide shows the date I checked it.

Haedong Yonggungsa, a temple on the rocks above the sea in Busan, under a sky of small clouds
Busan · Haedong Yonggungsa
The main hall and nine-story pagoda of Woljeongsa temple in Odaesan
Odaesan · Woljeongsa
Wind turbines along a mountain ridge near Sky Ranch in Pyeongchang
Pyeongchang · Sky Ranch
A red-brick building in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, under a blue sky
Seoul · Seongsu-dong
A lit wooden pavilion with willow trees reflected in a still pond inside a Seoul palace at dusk
Seoul · A palace at dusk
Wooden stairs and a green trail sign pointing to Daedongmun Gate and the shelter on a Bukhansan trail
Seoul · Bukhansan trail

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Who writes this

A temple complex in a rocky valley below Bongjeongam in Seoraksan, seen from the trail
On the trail to Bongjeongam · Nov 2024

About the guide

Hi, I’m SeoulAslan

I’m from Korea. I lived in Vietnam for six years and in Thailand for a year, so I know what it feels like to arrive somewhere and find that the useful information is in a language you can’t read.

I hike about twice a month. When a guide comes from my own walk, I say so. When it doesn’t, it’s based on official Korean sources.

  • From Korea
  • 6 years in Vietnam, 1 in Thailand
  • Hikes about twice a month

K-Tour Pass Busan: What the 15,000 Won Pass Gets You (2026)

Checked Oct 3, 2026

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. When you book through them, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change the prices I show or what I recommend. Details in my Privacy Policy.

Cover image: K-Tour Pass, a 15,000 won pass for foreign visitors to Busan, over a photo of Busan Station
Korea launched the K-Tour Pass for Busan on Oct 1, 2026. Photo: Busan Tourism Organization via Korea Tourism Organization

The K-Tour Pass is a new 15,000 won pass, for foreign visitors only, that bundles travel discounts for a trip to Busan. It gives you 50% off one one-way AREX Express ticket, either 40% off a one-way train or bus to Busan or 24,000 won off a KORAIL PASS, free entry to one of 35 attractions (34 in Busan, plus Gyeongju World), and a WOWPASS card. Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (문화체육관광부) and the Korea Tourism Organization (한국관광공사) started it as a pilot on Oct 1, 2026.

Before any trip abroad I ask the same five things: does cash work, how do the ticket machines work, does my card work, can I just tap, and where do I buy a pass. It's a habit from about six years of living in Vietnam. For a trip to Busan, this pass answers the last two at once.

Price15,000 won (Klook listed it at US$11.05 on Oct 3)
WhoForeign visitors only · Korean passports can't buy
Buy onKlook (app or mobile web) · HopnHop
Pass 140% off a one-way train or bus to Busan, up to 24,000 won
Pass 224,000 won off a KORAIL PASS
BothAREX Express 50% off (up to 6,000) · 1 of 35 attractions free · about 50 discounts · WOWPASS card
ValidCoupons and mobile ticket until Dec 31, 2026
Card pickupKiosks at Incheon, Gimpo and Gimhae airports, Seoul and Busan stations

WHERE TO BOOK

Jump to: What is it? · Pass 1 or Pass 2 · What's free in Busan · How to buy and use · The WOWPASS card · Is it worth it? · What comes next · FAQ

What is the K-Tour Pass?

It's one purchase that holds several coupons and a mobile ticket. You buy it online, get discount codes for transport, and show a live barcode at attractions and shops. A physical WOWPASS card comes with it, free at the kiosk if you want it, and that card works as a transit card and a prepaid debit card.

The ministry picked Busan for the pilot because, outside Seoul, it's foreign visitors' favorite region. The pass is aimed at independent travelers. The pilot started on Oct 1, 2026, and the coupons work until Dec 31, 2026.

Info chart listing what the 15,000 won K-Tour Pass includes: AREX one-way 50% off up to 6,000 won, Pass 1 train or bus to Busan 40% off up to 24,000 won, Pass 2 KORAIL PASS 24,000 won off, one of about 35 Busan attractions free once, discounts at about 50 places, and a WOWPASS card
What the pass includes, from VISITKOREA's K-Tour Pass page. Image: Before You Go Korea

Pass 1 or Pass 2: which one do you need?

Both cost 15,000 won and share the same base: the AREX coupon, one free attraction, the discounts and the WOWPASS card. The difference is the transport coupon.

K-Tour Pass 1K-Tour Pass 2
Transport coupon40% off a one-way train or bus to Busan, up to 24,000 won24,000 won off a KORAIL PASS
Good forOne trip to BusanSeveral train rides over 2 to 5 days
Where it worksKlook's Korea train or bus booking, Busan as your destination city · HopnHop: train onlyKlook's KORAIL PASS booking
AREX coupon50% off one one-way AREX Express ticket (Incheon Airport–Seoul Station), up to 6,000 won

On Klook, you paste the code into the promo code box when you book. One coupon per booking, and each code works once. For Pass 1, Busan has to be the final destination of the trip you book.

If you're going Seoul to Busan once, Pass 1 is the simple choice. My KTX booking guide explains the train side, including what changed when SRT became KTX.

What's free in Busan?

You pick one place from this list of 35 and get in free, once per pass. Show the live barcode on your phone at the entrance. This is VISITKOREA's full list as of Oct 3, 2026 (names as VISITKOREA writes them; the "type" column is mine):

#PlaceAreaType
1Lotte World BusanGijangTheme park
2Songdo Marine Cable CarSeo-guCable car
3Skyline Luge BusanGijangLuge
4Busan X the SkyHaeundaeObservatory
5SeaLife Busan AquariumHaeundaeAquarium
6Arte Museum BusanYeongdoMedia art
7Club D Oasis SpaHaeundaeSpa / water park
8Busan Diamond Bay YachtNam-guYacht tour
9Busan TowerJung-guObservatory
10Running Man Thema Park & Dynamic Maze BusanBusanjin-guIndoor activity
11Hotel Aqua Palace Spa & SaunaSuyeong-guSpa
12The Little Prince HouseSaha-gu (Gamcheon)Exhibit
13Museum 1Haeundae (Centum)Exhibit
14Music Complex Seoul Busan BranchGijangActivity
15Brick Campus BusanGijangLEGO exhibit
16Shinsegae Ice RinkHaeundae (Centum)Ice rink
17Gamcheon Romantic HanbokSaha-guHanbok rental
18Diaegg Escape Room CafeBusanjin-guEscape room
19Daeyoung TaekwondoNam-guTaekwondo class
20Hill SpaHaeundaeSpa
21Laser Arena GwanganSuyeong-guLaser tag
22Laser Arena SongdoSeo-guLaser tag
23Surf Holic SongjeongHaeundae (Songjeong)Surfing
24Dongsam Fishing Experience Village (Yacht Hari)YeongdoFishing village / yacht
25Busan Museum of MoviesJung-guMuseum
26Koong's Game Land Busan BranchJung-guGame arcade
27Haeon HanbokHaeundaeHanbok rental
28Goraesa Eomuk Haeundae BranchHaeundaeFish cake shop
29Samjin Amook Busan Station Square BranchDong-guFish cake shop
30Boat NGijangBoat ride
31Busan SandHaeundaeDessert
32Sayitgil BusanNam-gu—
33Moving Photo Book Songdo TimesSeo-guPhoto booth
34ZIM CARRY Busan Station BranchDong-guLuggage storage
35Gyeongju WorldGyeongju (outside Busan)Theme park

Which pick is worth the most? Going by regular adult prices on each place's own website (Oct 3, 2026): Lotte World Adventure Busan 49,000 won for a full day, Club D Oasis 33,000 won for the spa ticket, Diamond Bay yacht 30,000 won by day, Busan X the Sky 29,000 won, and the Songdo cable car from 19,000 won return. Gyeongju World lists 54,000 won but already gives foreigners 30% off with a passport. VISITKOREA doesn't say which ticket type each place gives pass holders, so check at the counter before you count on the full value.

Next: most of these places are cheaper on Klook than at the gate, which changes which free pick saves you the most. I compared gate and Klook prices for 11 of them in Busan Attraction Tickets: Gate vs Klook Prices.

A red cabin of the Songdo Marine Cable Car over the sea, with Busan's Songdo coast behind it
Songdo Marine Cable Car, one of the free choices. Photo: Busan Tourism Organization via Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1)

Then there are about 50 places with discounts you can use as often as you like: cafes, souvenir shops, hanbok rentals, yacht tours, Olive Young stores in Gwangalli, Nampo and Haeundae, and Lotte Department Store's Gwangbok and main branches. The full list is on the VISITKOREA page.

Kids: VISITKOREA doesn't list a separate child pass. Free entry rules differ by attraction and transport, so check the place you plan to visit before buying a pass for a child.

How do you buy and use it?

  1. Buy on Klook (app or mobile web, not the desktop site) or HopnHop. Both are linked from VISITKOREA's K-Tour Pass page.
  2. You get transport coupon codes and a mobile ticket with a barcode.
  3. Book your train or bus to Busan and your AREX ticket, and paste the codes at checkout.
  4. At the attraction or shop, show the live barcode on your phone. Screenshots and printouts may be refused.

Refunds: you get your money back in full only if nothing has been used. Once you register a coupon, look up the WOWPASS code, or use the mobile ticket at a partner attraction or shop, the pass can't be refunded. Ask the seller you bought from.

Where do you get the WOWPASS card?

Illustration of K-Tour Pass WOWPASS cards with Korean motifs and the words Korea, Full of Joy
The pass comes with a WOWPASS card in one of three designs, picked at random. Image: VISITKOREA K-Tour Pass page

At a K-Tour Pass kiosk in Busan Station (부산역), Gimhae Airport (김해공항), Seoul Station (서울역), Gimpo Airport (김포공항) or Incheon Airport (인천공항, Terminals 1 and 2). Enter your 8-digit voucher number and scan your passport.

The card comes with zero balance. Top it up at a kiosk with won cash or a card from abroad, or in the WOWPASS app with a card from abroad. The Incheon Airport kiosk takes Korean won only. The T-money transit side needs its own top-up: at a convenience store or subway station, or from your WOWPASS balance in the app. The card doesn't work in cash-only shops. Losing it costs 4,000 won to reissue at any WOWPASS kiosk.

Already have a WOWPASS? You can still buy the pass and switch to the new card in the app. The card stays usable for up to six years from when it was made.

The front of Gimhae International Airport's terminal building in Busan, with taxis lined up outside
Gimhae Airport, one of the five places to pick up the card (photo from 2013). Photo: Lee Beom-su / Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1)

Is the K-Tour Pass worth 15,000 won?

Only if you use the transport coupons. The Busan coupon is capped at 24,000 won and the AREX coupon at 6,000 won.

An example: Korail's standard KTX fare from Seoul to Busan is 54,400 won one way. If the 40% applies to that full fare on Klook, the saving would be 21,760 won, under the 24,000 won cap. Add the AREX coupon and one free attraction, and the pass pays for itself. If you already have your train ticket, or you're flying straight into Gimhae, the math is much weaker.

One more catch: everything except the WOWPASS card expires on Dec 31, 2026.

What comes after the Busan pilot?

The ministry says it will use the pilot's data to improve the pass. Its 2027 budget proposal has 9 billion won for it, about three times this year's, to expand it to five regional tourism areas built around airports outside Seoul. The press release doesn't name the five areas.

FAQ

Can Koreans buy the K-Tour Pass?

No. It's sold only to foreign visitors, and Klook says Korean passport holders can't use it.

Can I use the K-Tour Pass in Seoul?

The AREX coupon covers one one-way AREX Express trip between Incheon Airport and Seoul Station, and the WOWPASS card works anywhere in Korea. The free attraction and the discounts are in Busan, plus Gyeongju World on the free list and a luge in Tongyeong on the discount list.

How long is the K-Tour Pass valid?

The coupons and the mobile ticket work until Dec 31, 2026. The WOWPASS card lasts up to six years.

Can I visit more than one free attraction?

No, one of the 35, once. The roughly 50 discount places can be used again and again.

Where do I ask for help?

VISITKOREA lists a live chat at k1787.channel.io, daily 09:00 to 18:00.

Card, cash, machine, tap, pass. For Busan, the pass question finally has an answer, and Seoul to Busan and back in a day really is doable by KTX. You just have to get the train times right, and budget the ride back at full fare, since the pass only discounts the trip to Busan. Whether the five new regions get passes this simple next year is what I'll be watching.

Planning what to do in Busan? See gate vs Klook prices for 11 Busan attractions, and which one to take free with this pass.

Sources

— SeoulAslan

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