View source for Korail

{{short description|National railroad operator in South Korea}}
{{About|a South Korean train operator|the French train cars|Corail (train)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Korea Railroad Corporation<br />(Korail)
| logo = [[File:Korail logo.svg|200px]]
| image = Korea Railroad Corporation.jpg
| image_caption = Headquarters of Korea Railroad Corporation
| type = [[Government-owned corporation]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|df=yes|1963|09|01}}<small> (as Korean National Railroad)</small><br />{{start date and age|df=yes|2005|01|01}}<small> (renamed as Korail)</small>
| predecessor = [[Korean National Railroad]]
| location = [[Soje-dong]], [[Dong-gu (Daejeon)|Dong-gu]], [[Daejeon]], [[South Korea]]
| industry = [[Rail transport]]
| products = 
| subsid = [[SR Corporation]]
| revenue = {{unbulleted list||[[South Korean won|₩]]&nbsp;5.4 trillion&nbsp; <small>(2022)</small>|[[South Korean won|₩]]&nbsp;5.8 trillion&nbsp; <small>(2023)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jobkorea.co.kr/company/1738155 |title=한국철도공사 |year=2023 |publisher=JOBKOREA Corp. |language=ko |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref>}}
| operating_income = {{decrease}} [[South Korean won|₩]] 4743.1 hundred million <small>(2023)</small><ref name=2023statement>{{cite web |title=2023 Statements of Income |url=https://www.jobkorea.co.kr/company/1738155 |publisher=JOBKOREA Corp. |access-date=2025-02-22 }}</ref>
| net_income = {{decrease}} [[South Korean won|₩]] 5424.7 hundred million <small>(2023)</small><ref name=2023statement/>
| num_employees = {{unbulleted list|29,281&nbsp;<small>(2019)</small>|28,329&nbsp;<small>(2018)</small><ref>{{cite report |author=Korail |year=2020 |script-title=ko:2019 철도통계연보 (I) |trans-title=2019 Statistical Yearbook of Railroad (I) |number=57 |url=https://www.kric.go.kr/KricFileDownload.do?file=aGwfesFdewq5 |format=PDF |id=Administrative publication registration number: 11-1510000-000002-10 |page=7 |publisher=Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport |access-date=August 27, 2021}}</ref>}}
| homepage = [https://info.korail.com info.korail.com] [https://www.letskorail.com letskorail.com]
}}
{{Infobox rail network
|name            = Korea Railroad
|color           =
|logo            = 
|image           =
|caption         =
|infrastructure  = [[Korea Rail Network Authority|KR]]
|ridership       = 969,145,101<ref name=kosis>{{cite web|url=http://www.kosis.kr|title=KOSIS 국가통계포털}}</ref>
|passkm          = 31,415,965,207<ref name=kosis />
|statyear        = 2020
|freight         = 10,553,675,728 ton km<ref name=kosis />
|length          = {{convert|4128.6|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|doublelength    = {{convert|2706.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|ellength        = {{convert|3043.0|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|freightlength   =
|hslength        = {{convert|1264.7|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|gauge           = {{RailGauge|sg}}
|hsgauge         = {{RailGauge|sg}}
|el1             = AC 25,000 V 60 Hz
|el1length       ={{convert|3023.8|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|el2             = DC 1,500 V
|el2length       = {{convert|19.2|km|mi |abbr=on}}
|notunnels       =
|tunnellength    =
|longesttunnel   =
|nobridges       =
|longestbridge   =
|nostations      = 691
|highelevation   = {{convert|855|m|ft |abbr=on}}
|highelat        = {{coord|37|12|0|N|128|56|59.83|E}}
|lowelevation    =
|lowelat         =
|map             =
|}} 
{{Infobox Korean name/auto
|title=Korea Railroad Corporation
| hangul = ^한국_철@도_공사<!--철도 is pronounced [철또]-->
| hanja  = 韓國鐵道公社
}}

The '''Korea Railroad Corporation''' ({{Korean|hangul=한국철도공사|hanja=韓國鐵道公社}}) is the national railway operator in [[South Korea]]. It is branded as '''KORAIL''' ({{Korean|hangul=코레일|labels=no}}) and changed its official Korean name ({{Korean|hangul=한국철도|hanja=韓國鐵道|labels=no}}) in November 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=유의주 |date=8 October 2019 |title=코레일 새 약칭 '한국철도'로 바꾼다…한글사랑 실천 |trans-title=KORAIL changes its [Korean] abbreviation to 'Korean Railway'... implementing for the love of Hangul |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20191008126100063 |access-date=2019-11-13 |website=[[Yonhap News Agency]] |language=ko}}</ref> Currently, KORAIL is a [[State-owned enterprise|government-owned corporation]], managed by [[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (South Korea)|Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation]].

KORAIL operates intercity/regional, commuter/metro and freight trains throughout South Korea, and has its headquarters in [[Daejeon]].

== History ==
{{Main|Rail transport in South Korea}}

Historically, the South Korean railway network was managed by the ''Railroad Administration Bureau'' of the Ministry of Transportation before 1963. On 1 September 1963, the bureau became an agency that was known as ''Korean National Railroad'' (KNR) in English. In the early 2000s, the split and public corporatization of KNR was decided by the South Korean government, and in 2003, KNR adopted the current KORAIL logo in blue to prepare for corporatization. On 1 January 2005, KNR was split into ''Korea Railroad Corporation'' (KORAIL), which succeeded railway operation with the KORAIL logo and name, and [[Korea National Railway]] (KR), which succeeded in railway construction and maintaining tracks.

== Finances ==
Fares are set according to distance.<br />
KORAIL has posted losses every year for the last decade, with the exception of 2015.<br />
In 2021 alone, the deficit was 1.1081 trillion won.<br />
As of the end of 2021, the cumulative deficit is 18.66 trillion won.

Rail fares have been frozen since they were raised by 4.9% in 2011.

In the 2021 public institution management evaluation, KORAIL was given the lowest grade of E (extremely unsatisfactory).<ref>[https://shindonga.donga.com/3/all/13/3578260/1 “Korail in deficit of 18.7 trillion, organize low-profit routes!”] dongA.com（August 24, 2022）</ref>

== Services ==
{{Main|Rail transport in South Korea}}
Excluding the other high-speed service provider, SR, South Korean high-speed and intercity services are provided by KORAIL. Currently, KORAIL provides 5 classes of railway and metro services.

=== KTX ===
{{Main|KTX}}
[[File:KTX-Sancheon.jpg|thumb|KORAIL KTX-Sancheon Class 110000]]

'''[[KTX]]''' (Korea Train eXpress) is currently the highest class of KORAIL services. KTX services are provided on the [[Gyeongbu HSR]] and [[Honam HSR]], as well as their branches such as [[Gyeongjeon Line]], [[Donghae Line]], or [[Jeolla Line]].

=== ITX ===
[[File:ITX-Saemaeul.jpg|thumb|KORAIL ITX-Saemaeul Class 210000]]

'''ITX''' (Intercity Train eXpress) are a group of intercity services. The first ITX service was introduced in 2012, which was named [[ITX-Cheongchun]] (ITX-청춘) on [[Gyeongchun Line]].

Before the introduction of ITX services, intercity trains were named [[Saemaul-ho]] ({{Korean|hangul=새마을호|labels=no}}), which borrowed its name from [[New Community Movement]]. Later, Saemaul-ho services are merged into ITX as [[ITX-Saemaeul]] (ITX-새마을). Currently, the remaining Saemaul-ho services are only operated on [[Janghang Line]].

In late 2023, another new ITX train equivalent to ITX-Saemaeul was introduced and named [[ITX-Maum]].

=== Mugunghwa-ho and Nuriro ===
[[File:Mugunghwa-ho.jpg|thumb|KORAIL [[Mugunghwa-ho]]]]

[[Mugunghwa-ho]] ({{Korean|hangul=무궁화호|labels=no}}) and its planned successor [[Nuriro]] ({{Korean|hangul=누리로|labels=no}}) services are regional train services of KORAIL. Mugunghwa-ho, inspired by its name from the national floral emblem [[hibiscus]], was introduced as express service at first, but after the introduction of KTX, it was degraded into regional services.

Currently, Nuriro services are provided by only EMU trains (class 20). KORAIL has a plan of introducing Nuriro with the newly ordered EMU-150.

=== Urban railway services ===
[[File:Korail Line 1 Gyeongin express train at Guro.jpg|thumb|KORAIL Class 311000 EMU]]
Named as metro services ({{Korean|hangul=전동열차|labels=no}}), these services are provided in the [[Seoul Metropolitan Area]] and the [[Busan Metropolitan Area]]. Sometimes it is considered as a successor of Bidulgi-ho ({{Korean|hangul=비둘기호|labels=no}}) class trains. Officially, the fare systems of these services are separate from other services operated by Korail; such services are integrated with subway fare systems, allowing free transfers between Korail-operated lines and local metro lines.

==== Seoul ====
{{see_also|Seoul Metro|Seoul Metropolitan Subway}}
:{{rint|seoul|1}} [[Seoul Subway Line 1|'''Line 1''']] is a large service corridor consisting of the following Korail lines that [[Through train|through operate]] to and from [[Seoul Metro]] [[Seoul Subway Line 1|Line 1]]
:::'''''[[Gyeongbu Line]]''''' — ([[Namyeong station|Namyeong]]–[[Cheonan station|Cheonan]]) 
:::'''''[[Gyeongin Line]]'''''  — ([[Guro station|Guro]]–[[Incheon station|Incheon]]) 
:::'''''[[Gyeongwon Line]]''''' — ([[Yeoncheon station|Yeoncheon]]–[[Hoegi station|Hoegi]]) 
:::'''''[[Janghang Line]]''''' — ([[Cheonan station|Cheonan]]–[[Sinchang station|Sinchang(Soonchunhyang Univ.)]]) 
:{{rint|seoul|3}} [[Seoul Subway Line 3|'''Line 3''']] 
:::'''''[[Ilsan Line]]''''' — ([[Jichuk station|Jichuk]]–[[Daehwa station|Daehwa]]) with [[Through train|through operation]] to [[Seoul Metro]] [[Seoul Subway Line 3|Line 3]]
:{{rint|seoul|4}} [[Seoul Subway Line 4|'''Line 4''']] is a long service corridor consisting of the following Korail lines that [[Through train|through operate]] to and from [[Seoul Metro]] [[Seoul Subway Line 4|Line 4]] 
:::'''''[[Jinjeop Line]]''''' — ([[Jinjeop station|Jinjeop]]–[[ByeollaeByeolgaram station|ByeollaeByeolgaram]])
:::'''''[[Ansan Line]]''''' — ([[Geumjeong station|Geumjeong]]–[[Oido station|Oido]])
:::'''''[[Gwacheon Line]]''''' — ([[Seonbawi station|Seonbawi]]–[[Geumjeong station|Geumjeong]]) 
:{{rint|seoul|bun}}  a large service corridor consisting of the following lines:
:::'''''[[Bundang Line]]''''' (1994) — ([[Cheongnyangni station|Cheongnyangni]]–[[Suwon station|Suwon]])
:::'''''[[Suin Line]]''''' (2012) —  ([[Suwon station|Suwon]]–[[Incheon station|Incheon]])
:{{rint|seoul|chun}}  — ([[Seoul Station|Seoul]]–[[Chuncheon station|Chuncheon]])
:{{rint|seoul|gyeongjung}} a large service corridor consisting of the following lines:
:::'''''[[Gyeongui Line]]''''' — ([[Seoul Station|Seoul]]–[[Munsan station|Munsan]]) 
:::'''''[[Gyeongwon Line]]''''' — ([[Hoegi station|Hoegi]]–[[Yongsan station|Yongsan]])
:::'''''[[Jungang Line]]''''' — ([[Cheongnyangni station|Cheongnyangni]]–[[Jipyeong station|Jipyeong]]) 
:::'''''[[Yongsan Line]]''''' — ([[Yongsan station|Yongsan]]–[[Gajwa station|Gajwa]])
:{{rint|seoul|gyeonggang}} '''[[Gyeonggang Line]]''' —  ([[Pangyo station|Pangyo]]–[[Yeoju station|Yeoju]])

==== Busan ====
:[[File:Seoul Metro Line 1-Blank.png|16px|link=Donghae Line]] '''[[Donghae Line]]''' — ([[Bujeon station (Korail)|Bujeon]]–[[Taehwagang station|Taehwagang]]) is part of Donghae Line service

== Sightseeing trains ==
KORAIL has a number of [[Excursion train|tourist]] or sightseeing trains, including the [[Sea Train (Korail)|Sea Train]], [[DMZ Train]], [[V-Train (Korail)|V-Train]], [[S-Train (Korail)|S-Train]], [[A-Train (Korail)|A-Train]], and [[G-Train (Korail)|G-Train]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Sun-Min|title=Planned G-Train offers tourists ultimate comfort|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3000045|date=24 January 2015|publisher=[[JoongAng Ilbo]]|access-date=27 February 2015}}</ref>

== Passes ==
Korail offers a rail pass called [[Korea Rail Pass]], or KR Pass for short, to foreign travelers, such that they can take most of the trains operated by Korail freely, including KTX. However, subways and tourist trains operated by KORAIL are not covered.<ref name="Pass">{{cite web|url=http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/TR/TR_EN_5_6.jsp#Joint%20Ticket|title=Railroad Passes|access-date=18 September 2013|archive-date=10 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810090053/http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/TR/TR_EN_5_6.jsp#Joint%20Ticket|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Foreigners living in South Korea for more than six months are ineligible to use a KR Pass, but Korail offers the Happy Rail Pass, which is very similar to the KR Pass, for a slightly higher price.<ref name="Pass" />

== Labor relations ==
Most of the railroad's employees are members of the [[Korean Railway Workers' Union]], which is frequently at odds with KORAIL management.  [[Strike action|Strikes]], such as the [[South Korean railroad strike of 2006]], are not uncommon.

In December 2013, 23,000–100,000 union members and friends protested the privatization of KORAIL in Seoul.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://japan.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/16363.html|title=[現場] 寒波の中 10万の人波 「国民を敵に回すな」}}</ref>

== Subsidiaries ==
*Korail Networks, for ticketing management and [[KTX Family Card|Korail frequent riders program]].
*Korail Retail, for advertisement management and running "[[Storyway]]" convenience store.
*Korail Tour Service, for [[KTX]]/[[Saemaeul-ho]] train crew and travel service.

== International service ==
* {{flagicon|North Korea}} [[Transport in North Korea#Railways|North Korea]] ([[Korean State Railway]]): 
Until the [[division of Korea]] following the end of the [[Second World War]], the [[Gyeongui Line]] and [[Gyeongwon Line]] extended into what is now [[North Korea]].  The [[Gyeongui Line]] connected [[Seoul]] to [[Kaesong]], [[Pyongyang]], and [[Sinuiju]] on the Chinese border, while the [[Gyeongwon Line]] served [[Wonsan]] on the east coast.  Another line—the [[Kumgangsan Electric Railway]]—connected the town of [[Cheorwon County|Cheorwon]], now on the border of [[North Korea|North]] and [[South Korea]], on the [[Gyeongwon Line]], to [[Kumgang-san|Mt. Geumgang]], now in the [[North Korea|North]].

The [[Gyeongui Line]] is one of two lines whose southern and northern halves are now being reconnected, the other line being the [[Donghae Bukbu Line]]. On 17 May 2007, two test trains ran on the reconnected lines: one on the west line from [[Munsan]] to [[Kaesong]]; the second on the east from [[Jejin]] to [[Kumgang County|Kumgang]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6664091.stm| title=Korean trains in historic link-up| publisher=[[BBC News]]| date=2007-05-17| access-date=2007-05-17}}</ref>

In December 2007, regular freight service started on the Gyeongui line, from South Korea into the [[Kaesong Industrial Region|Kaesong Industrial Park]] in the north. The service has been underutilized, however: as it was reported in October 2008, on 150 out of 163 return trips that had been done so far, the train carried no cargo at all. The total amount of cargo carried over this period had been merely 340 tons<!--metric tons?-->. This absence of interest in the service has been explained by the customers' (companies operating in Kaesong) preference for road transport.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/3247392/Korean-detente-railway-becomes-ghost-train.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/3247392/Korean-detente-railway-becomes-ghost-train.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| title=Korean detente railway becomes ghost train| author =Richard Spencer|date=23 Oct 2008| location=London| work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In November 2008, North Korea shut down the link.<ref name=telegraphrail /> However, railroad transportation from South Korea to North Korea resumed again on 30 November 2018, when a South Korean train carrying railroad inspectors entered North Korea.<ref name="kbs.co.kr">{{cite web|url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=141207|title=S. Korean Inspector Train Runs in N. Korea for Re-Connection Survey l KBS WORLD Radio|website=[[KBS World]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kwon |first=Jake |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/29/asia/north-south-korea-train-intl/index.html |title=A South Korean train heads North, but sanctions mean it has to carry its own fuel |publisher=CNN |date=2018-11-30 |access-date=2018-12-29}}</ref>

A [[Trans-Korean Main Line]], spanning North Korea and connecting to [[Russian Railways]], is being planned.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://rtdr.org/corporate-statement/trans-korean_main_line_investment_in_the_future.html| archive-url=https://archive.today/20110227111131/http://rtdr.org/corporate-statement/trans-korean_main_line_investment_in_the_future.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=2011-02-27| access-date=2010-10-30| title=Trans-Korean Main Line - Investment in the Future - Russian Transport Daily Report| date=2010-10-29}}</ref> On 30 November 2018, 30 officials from North and South Korea began an 18-day survey in both Koreas to connect the Korean railroads.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/koreas-survey-railway-tracks-cut-since-the-korean-war/4681029.html|title=Koreas Survey Railway Tracks Cut Since the Korean War|website=VOA|date=30 November 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article222406610.html |title=Koreas survey North's railways in hopes of joining networks &#124; the News Tribune |access-date=2018-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130132719/https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article222406610.html |archive-date=2018-11-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=dec52018 /> The survey, which had previously been obstructed by the Korean Demilitarized Zone's (DMZ) "frontline" guard posts and landmines located at the DMZ's Arrowhead Hill, consists of a {{convert|400|km|adj=on|sp=us}}-long railroad section between Kaesong and Sinuiju that cuts through the North's central region and northeastern coast.<ref name=telegraphrail>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/30/first-train-decade-departs-south-korea-north-korea/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/30/first-train-decade-departs-south-korea-north-korea/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=First train in a decade departs South Korea for North Korea|first=Gianluca|last=Avagnina|date=30 November 2018|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|newspaper=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The railway survey, which involved the inspection of the [[Gyeongui Line]], concluded on 5 December 2018.<ref name=dec52018>{{cite web|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20181205000785|title=[Newsmaker] Koreas in consultations for joint road inspection|date=5 December 2018|website=[[The Korea Herald]]}}</ref> On 8 December 2018, an inter-Korean survey began in both Koreas for the [[Donghae Line]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=141408|title=Joint Inspection of N. Korea's Eastern Rail Line Begins l KBS WORLD Radio|website=[[KBS World]]}}</ref>

On 13 December 2018, it was announced that the groundbreaking ceremony to symbolize the reconnection of the roads and railways in both Koreas will be held on 26 December 2018 in the North Korean city of Kaesong.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20181213001653325 |title=(3rd LD) Koreas agree to hold groundbreaking ceremony for rail, road reconnection on Dec. 26 |publisher=[[Yonhap News Agency]] |date=2018-12-13 |access-date=2018-12-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arirang.com/|title=한국을 대표하는 글로벌 방송! The World On Arirang!|first=The Korea International Broadcasting|last=Foundation|website=Two Koreas to hold groundbreaking ceremony for railway, road project on 26 Dec. : ARIRANG}}</ref> On 17 December 2018, the latest inter-Korean railway survey, which involved an 800-km rail from Kumgangsan near the inter-Korean border to the Tumen River bordering Russia in the east, was completed.<ref name=dec17>{{cite web|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20181217000810|title=N. Korea railway not in good condition: inspection team|date=17 December 2018|website=[[The Korea Herald]]}}</ref>  A potential threat to the groundbreaking ceremony emerged after it was revealed that the North Korean railway was in poor condition.<ref name=dec17 /> On 21 December 2018, however, the United States agreed to no longer obstruct plans by both Koreas to hold a groundbreaking ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/875453.html |title=US approves inter-Korean railway groundbreaking ceremony : North Korea : News : The Hankyoreh |publisher=[[The Hankyoreh]] |date=2018-12-22 |access-date=2018-12-29}}</ref> The same day, a four-day inter-Korean road survey began when ten working-level South Korean surveyors entered North Korea to work with ten North Korean surveyors on a three-day survey 100-km-long section on the eastern Donghae Line.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=141734|title=Two Koreas Begin Joint Road Survey l KBS WORLD Radio|website=[[KBS World]]}}</ref> On 24 December 2018, the four-day road survey, which will assist with the groundbreaking ceremony for the railroad, was completed after a separate team of ten South Korean surveyors entered North Korea and joined ten North Korean surveyors to survey a 4-km-long road in Kaesong.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ng/s-korean-officials-visit-n-korea-for-joint-road-survey/|title=S. Korean Officials Visit N. Korea for Joint Road Survey|first=Agency|last=Report|date=24 December 2018}}</ref> On 26 December 2018, the groundbreaking ceremony was held as scheduled in Kaesong.<ref name=dec26>{{cite news|url=http://time.com/5488315/north-south-korea-railway-sanctions/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226033433/http://time.com/5488315/north-south-korea-railway-sanctions/|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 December 2018|title=Koreas Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for Stalled Rail Project|magazine=Time}}</ref> About 100 South Korean officials attended the ceremony after departing to North Korea on a Korail train based at Dorasan Station in Palu.<ref name=dec26 /><ref name="kbs.co.kr"/>

* {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Rail transport in Japan|Japan]]
[[JR Kyushu]] offered a [[Beetle (JR Kyushu)|jet foil ferry]] service between Busan and Fukuoka taking about 3 hours. KORAIL and [[JR West]] had a joint rail pass (called {{Korean|hangul=한일공동승차권|labels=no}}) which included discounted [[KTX]] and [[Shinkansen]] tickets and [[Busan]]-[[Shimonoseki]]/[[Fukuoka]] [[ferry]] tickets, but the pass was discontinued due to low ridership. In 2024, the service was discontinued owing to various safety issues deemed irrepairable.<ref>{{Cite news |last=JR KYUSHU JET FERRY INC. |date=2024-12-23 |title=JR九州高速船株式会社 |url=https://www.jrbeetle.com/news/1861/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250131042725/https://www.jrbeetle.com/news/1861/ |archive-date=2025-01-31 |access-date=2025-07-04 |work=QUEEN BEETLE クイーンビートル {{!}} JR九州高速船 |language=ja-JP}}</ref>

There are no railway connections between both countries. The [[Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel|Korean Strait undersea tunnel]] connecting [[Fukuoka]] and [[Busan]] via [[Tsushima Island|Tsushima]] had been proposed as far back as 1917, but the plan has never progressed beyond the research phase. While the increased wealth of South Korea and continued growth of trade between the nations has made the economic case for the tunnel more compelling, promotion has focused more on using the project to reduce political tension between the nations.<ref name="AsiaNews2009">{{cite news| url = http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=16568&size=A| title = Japan and South Korea Increasingly Closer: The Two Nations Are Now Planning The Future Together: An Underwater Tunnel, A Common History Book...| last = Cazzaniga  | first = Pino| date = 13 October 2009| publisher=AsiaNews.it| access-date =4 December 2009| location = Japan}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[List of suburban and commuter rail systems]]
*[[Korean State Railway]], North Korea's national rail operator
*[[Daejeon Korail FC]], [[Korea National League]] football team.
*[[Korea Rail Network Authority]]
*[[KTX Family Card]], frequent riders program
*[[Transportation in South Korea]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Korea Railroad}}
* {{Official website|https://info.korail.com/infoeng/index.do}} (English)
* [https://www.letskorail.com/ebizbf/EbizBfIndex_eng.do Online reservation]

{{Korail Lines}}
{{Korail passenger train services}}
{{Korail rolling stock}}
{{Asia topic|Rail transport in}}
{{Rapid transit in Asia}}

[[Category:Korail| ]]
[[Category:Government-owned companies of South Korea]]
[[Category:Railway companies of South Korea]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1963]]
[[Category:Companies based in Daejeon]]
[[Category:South Korean brands]]
[[Category:1500 V DC railway electrification]]
[[Category:25 kV AC railway electrification]]
[[Category:South Korean companies established in 1963]]
[[Category:Government-owned railway companies]]