Seoul Subway Lines Guide: 12 Lines and Where to Get Off

Seoul’s subway map shows more lines than most visitors will ever need, and the colours don’t tell you which one runs past a palace, a fish market or a mountain trailhead. So we rode them one at a time. This series has a guide for each of the 12 lines visitors use most, and every guide answers the same questions: where the line goes, which stations are worth getting off at, which exit to take and where people nearby eat.

This page is the index. It covers Lines 1 to 9 and three named lines: the Sinbundang Line south from Gangnam, the Gyeongui-Jungang Line from near the DMZ to Yangpyeong, and AREX to Incheon Airport. Other lines, such as the Suin-Bundang and Gyeongchun lines, the Ui-Sinseol and Sillim light rail lines and GTX-A, appear in the guides as transfers. Use the table to pick a line, then follow the link for station tables, exits and restaurants.

Which Seoul subway line should you ride?

Pick the line by where you are going, not by its colour. The table lists each line’s ends, who runs it, what it is best for and three stations to start with; every station named here has its exit and a nearby restaurant in the line guide.

🚇 The 12 lines in this series (termini, operators and stops from each line guide, November 2026)

Line	Runs between	Operator	Best for	Stops to try	Guide
Line 1	Yeoncheon – Incheon / Sinchang (splits at Guro)	Seoul Metro (Seoul Station – Cheongnyangni), Korail (the rest)	Old Jongno, markets, Suwon and Incheon	Jongno 5-ga, Dongdaemun, Jegi-dong	Line 1 guide
Line 2	Loop through City Hall, Seongsu, Jamsil, Gangnam and Hongdae; branches to Sinseol-dong and Kkachisan	Seoul Metro	Moving between the big districts	City Hall, Seongsu, Hongik Univ.	Line 2 guide
Line 3	Daehwa (Goyang) – Ogeum (Songpa-gu)	Korail (Daehwa – Jichuk), Seoul Metro (Jichuk – Ogeum)	Palaces, Bukchon, Garosu-gil	Gyeongbokgung, Anguk, Garak Market	Line 3 guide
Line 4	Jinjeop (Namyangju) – Oido (Siheung)	Seoul Metro (Jinjeop – Namtaeryeong), Korail (Seonbawi – Oido)	Myeong-dong, Namdaemun, DDP, the National Museum	Myeong-dong, Hoehyeon, Ichon	Line 4 guide
Line 5	Banghwa – Hanam Geomdansan / Macheon (fork at Gangdong)	Seoul Metro	Gimpo Airport, Yeouido, Gwanghwamun	Yeouinaru, Gwanghwamun, Dapsimni	Line 5 guide
Line 6	Eungam (one-way loop) – Sinnae	Seoul Metro	Markets, Mapo, Itaewon and Seoul Central Mosque	Mangwon, Noksapyeong, Sindang	Line 6 guide
Line 7	Jangam (Uijeongbu) – Seongnam (Incheon)	Seoul Metro (Jangam – Onsu), Incheon Transit Corporation (west of Onsu)	Mountains, parks, Gangnam’s cheap eats	Suraksan, Children’s Grand Park, Daerim	Line 7 guide
Line 8	Byeollae (Namyangju) – Moran (Seongnam)	Seoul Metro (trains on the whole line)	Royal tombs, Baekje history, the Namhansanseong bus	Donggureung, Cheonho, Mongchontoseong	Line 8 guide
Line 9	Gaehwa – VHS Medical Center	Seoul Metro Line9 Corporation (Gaehwa – Sinnonhyeon), Seoul Metro (Eonju – VHS Medical Center)	Gimpo to Gangnam by express, the south bank	Noryangjin, Heukseok, Bongeunsa	Line 9 guide
Sinbundang	Sinsa – Gwanggyo (Suwon)	Neotrans (trains on three privately owned sections)	Gangnam to Pangyo fast, a forest and a trailhead	Yangjae Citizen’s Forest, Cheonggyesan Entrance, Jeongja	Sinbundang guide
Gyeongui-Jungang	Munsan (Paju) – Yongmun / Jipyeong (Yangpyeong); branch to Seoul Station	Korail	DMZ and Han River day trips, quiet Seoul stops	Hyochang Park, Eungbong, Yangsu	Gyeongui-Jungang guide
AREX	Seoul Station – Incheon Airport Terminal 2	Airport Railroad Co. (AREX)	Incheon Airport, check-in at Seoul Station	Seoul Station, Hongik Univ., Magongnaru	AREX guide

Station numbers help when names blur together. On Lines 1 to 9 the number starts with the line, with a P in front on some outer sections: City Hall is 201 on Line 2, Seoul Station 426 on Line 4, Olympic Park P550 on Line 5. The named lines use letters: D for the Sinbundang Line (Gangnam is D07), K for the Gyeongui-Jungang Line and A for AREX (Seoul Station is A01).

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Which line goes where you want to go?

If you know the kind of day you want, start from the trip, not the map. Each card names the one or two lines that do the work; the guides give exits and times.

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How do Seoul subway lines work for visitors?

One transit card works on all 12 lines, and the fare is by distance whoever owns the track. On Seoul Metro’s fare table an adult pays 1,550 won for the first 10 km with a transit card (1,650 won with a single-journey ticket), plus 100 won for every 5 km up to 50 km, and the Line 1 and Line 4 guides note that the same scale applies on Korail’s sections. On through-running lines such as 1, 3, 4 and 7 you don’t change trains or tap again where one operator hands over to the next. The exceptions, and the quirks that catch people out, are in this table.

🔀 Where the rules change (from each line guide's riding tips)

Line	What is different	What to do
Line 1	Splits at Guro: Incheon trains go west, Cheonan, Sinchang, Seodongtan and Byeongjeom trains go south. Korail 급행 (express) trains skip many stations	Read the destination and check for 급행; take a local train for a small stop
Line 2	Inner circle runs clockwise, outer circle counter-clockwise; branch trains go to Sinseol-dong or Kkachisan	Count stops both ways; change at Seongsu or Sindorim to stay on the loop
Line 5	Forks at Gangdong: Hanam Geomdansan or Macheon, roughly every other train each	Board the train for your branch; if wrong, change at Gangdong
Line 6	A one-way loop at Eungam; some eastbound trains end at Bonghwasan	Stay on at Eungam; use Line 3 between Yeonsinnae and Bulgwang
Line 9	Express trains stop at 16 of 38 stations; express and local share the platform	Express for long rides, local for local-only stops and the weekday morning rush
Sinbundang	Surcharge of 700 to 2,200 won on top of the normal fare; no Climate Card	Use a T-money or other transit card; Gangnam to Pangyo is 2,650 won
Gyeongui-Jungang	Trains to Yongmun every 9–10 minutes at rush hour, 20–30 minutes otherwise; many end early	Check the next train before you leave a sight; use numbered lines in central Seoul
AREX	Non-stop express at 13,000 won with a reserved seat; all-stop trains take a transit card; the airport section is priced separately	Take the express only from Seoul Station; read the destination for Geomam-bound trains

What changed on Seoul's subway in 2026?

Across the 12 lines, 2026 brought new timetables, a rebuilt terminus and several openings that slipped. These are the changes the line guides record; where a date comes from press reports rather than an operator or the city, the guide says so.

• Line 1, May 26: according to Financial News, Korail turned the Gyeongin Line's special express trains into ordinary express trains and added express stops at Daebang, Singil, Gaebong, Dongam and Jemulpo.
• Gyeongui-Jungang Line, May 26–31: the collapse of the Seosomun overpass halted trains between Sinchon and Seoul Station; service returned on May 30 and was back to normal from May 31, Newsis reported. Normal Seohae Line service between Ilsan and Daegok returned on April 20, Asia Economy reported.
• AREX, January–October: Asiana Airlines moved to Terminal 2 on January 14; the Seoul Station city airport terminal reopened after renovation on August 3; t'way has flown as Trinity Airways since September 10; and a revised timetable took effect on October 23.
• Line 4, August 22: Jinjeop Depot replaced Chang-dong Depot. Seoul city says morning-peak trains at Jinjeop rose from 13 to 15, and three weekday-evening trains now run straight from Oido to Jinjeop.
• Line 7, October: Jangam, the northern terminus, closed from October 2 to 30 and reopened on a temporary platform on October 31, to be used until the new station opens, planned for 2029.
• Line 9, from November 16: Seoul city's new timetable runs two expresses for every local eastbound between 05:40 and 07:00, starts the morning peak at 05:40, moves the evening peak to 16:00–18:30 and adds eight morning trains.