On August 15, 1974, a line formed in front of the underground fare gates at Seoul Station. Seoul Station to Cheongnyangni: 7.8 km. That day, Korea’s very first subway line — Line 1 — opened its doors. The fare was ₩30.
In September 2026, tap a card at the very same gate and a number blinks on the reader. ₩1,550.
In 52 years, that's 51.7x
In between, Seoul’s subway grew from one line spanning 7.8 km into a web that blankets the whole metropolitan area, and the fare formula flipped twice — from distance-based to zone-based, then back again. Paper tickets gave way to magnetic cards, then in 1996 to the world’s first contactless smart card. Today the gates open with a tap of your phone.
This piece follows those numbers across 52 years — and doubles as the fare sheet you need if you’ve just landed in Seoul in September 2026. There’s also one urgent note. Seoul’s transit pass system gets a full overhaul in October 2026.
The short answer
- As of September 2026: subway ₩1,550 / trunk & branch bus ₩1,500 / standard taxi ₩4,800. No fare hikes in 2026. The last increases were June 28, 2025 for the subway, August 12, 2023 for buses, and February 1, 2023 for taxis.
- ₩30 in 1974 → ₩1,550 in 2026 = 51.7x. Over the same span, jajangmyeon rose about 54x. For half a century, the cost of getting around Seoul rose at nearly the same pace as a bowl of noodles.
- The Climate Card 30-day pass ends September 30, 2026. The short-term passes for travelers (₩5,000 for 1 day to ₩20,000 for 7 days) remain after October.
Seoul subway base fare, Sept 2026 (adult, transit card). Frozen since June 28, 2025
Rise from the ₩30 fare of 1974. About 24 hikes over 52 years
Daytime base fare for a standard Seoul taxi (1.6 km). Unchanged since Feb 1, 2023
How long the taxi fare has been frozen. The industry is pushing for a ₩5,500 base fare
How much does Seoul transit cost right now, in September 2026?
Subway ₩1,550, trunk and branch buses ₩1,500, standard taxi ₩4,800. All figures are for adults paying with a transit card, and not a single mode raised its fare in 2026. From January through September 2026, the city announced no fare revision.
The table below is the most practical part of this piece — every amount you’ll actually pay once you land in Seoul.
🚇 Seoul transit fares at a glance (as of September 2026, unit: won)
| Mode | Type / color | Adult (card) | Adult (cash) | Youth (card) | Child (card) | Early-morning (adult) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | Metropolitan rail | 1,550 | 1,650 | 900 | 550 | 1,240 |
| Trunk bus | Blue | 1,500 | 1,500 | 900 | 550 | 1,200 |
| Branch bus | Green | 1,500 | 1,500 | 900 | 550 | 1,200 |
| Circular bus | Yellow | 1,400 | 1,400 | 800 | 500 | 1,120 |
| Metropolitan bus | Red | 3,000 | 3,000 | 1,700 | 1,500 | 2,400 |
| Late-night bus | Blue + N | 2,500 | 2,500 | 1,600 | 1,400 | — |
| Village bus | Green (small) | 1,200 | 1,200 | 600 | 400 | 960 |
| Standard taxi | First 1.6 km, daytime | 4,800 | 4,800 | — | — | — |
Youth means ages 13–18, children ages 6–12. Toddlers under 6 ride free, up to three per accompanying adult. With a single-use subway card, even teens pay the full adult ₩1,650. Youth and child discounts apply only with a transit card.
How did ₩30 become ₩1,550?
Over 52 years, the fare rose roughly 24 times. Each round got bigger — ₩10, then ₩50, then ₩100, then ₩150 — with two eight-year freezes wedged in between.
Look at the pattern and the history of Seoul’s subway fare is really a history of increment sizes. From 1974 to 1982, fares went up ₩10 at a time — with exactly one exception, a ₩20 jump in January 1980. In August 1984, the fare rose ₩30 from ₩110 to ₩140, the first break from the ₩10 unit. The 1990s ran on ₩50 increments, the 2000s on ₩100, and from 2012 it became ₩150.
🚇 Seoul metropolitan subway base fare, 1974–2026 (adult, transit card; unit: won)
| Effective date | Base fare | Increase | System & technology notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974.08.15 | 30 | — | Line 1 opens, Seoul Station–Cheongnyangni. Distance-based fare + Edmondson paper tickets |
| 1974–1982 | 30 → 80s | Mostly +10 | Only January 1980 was an exception at +20 |
| 1984.08 | 140 | +30 | 110 → 140. First hike to break the ₩10 unit |
| 1985 | Not confirmed | — | Distance-based fare abolished → inner-city zone system + outer movement sections. Magnetic paper tickets introduced |
| 1986.12.29 | 200 | — | Seven hikes in the 1980s alone |
| 1990.12.31 | 250 | +50 | The 1990s start at 250; six hikes in total |
| 1993.02.10 | 300 | +50 | |
| 1994.01.15 | 350 | +50 | |
| 1995.11.20 | 400 | +50 | |
| 1996 | 400 | — | World’s first contactless smart card (Upass) introduced |
| 1997.07.04 | 450 | +50 | |
| 1999.01.18 | 500 | +50 | Transit cards go mainstream |
| 2000.09.01 | 600 | +100 | The 2000s start at 600; four hikes in total |
| 2003.03.10 | 700 | +100 | |
| 2004.07.01 | 800 | +100 | Full return to distance-based fares (12 km base) + bus transfer discounts introduced |
| 2007.04.01 | 900 | +100 | Metropolitan integrated transfer discount begins. Base distance adjusted to 10 km |
| 2007–2012 | 900 | Frozen | Four-year freeze |
| 2009.02.01 | 900 | — | Magnetic paper tickets → single-use IC cards (deposit system) |
| 2012.02.25 | 1,050 | +150 | The ₩150 era begins. 35x the 1974 fare (21st hike) |
| 2015 | 1,250 | +200 | Largest single hike to date |
| Oct 2023 | 1,400 | +150 | First hike in 8 years. Single-use card ₩1,500 |
| 2025.06.28 | 1,550 | +150 | Single-use card ₩1,650. Youth 800→900, child 500→550 |
| Sept 2026 | 1,550 | Frozen | No further hike in 2026 |
The Seoul Institute’s transit records log each increase from December 29, 1986 onward down to the exact date, but for the decade or so before that, the surviving records of individual hike dates are uneven.
The real story is in the two long freezes. After the April 2007 rise to ₩900, the fare sat still for 4 years and 10 months until February 2012; after 2015’s ₩1,250, it held for over 8 years until October 2023. Those two freezes are the direct cause of Seoul Metro’s deficit, which we’ll get to later.
What is a distance-based fare?
You pay for the distance you travel. Seoul's subway began on a distance-based system at its 1974 opening, switched to a zone system in 1985, then returned to distance-based on July 1, 2004. Here's the structure as of 2026.
- Up to 10 km: base fare ₩1,550
- 10–50 km: ₩100 per additional 5 km
- Over 50 km: ₩100 per additional 8 km
In other words, the surcharge slows past 50 km — the system is designed to favor long-distance riders. For teens the add-on drops to ₩80 per 5 km, for children ₩50.
That’s where Seoul diverges from New York. The New York subway charges a flat US$3 regardless of distance. In Seoul, fares creep up past 10 km. Most trips within the city stay under 10 km, so the base fare covers them — but head out to Suwon or Incheon and you’ll cross ₩2,000.
Why has the taxi sat at ₩4,800 for 3 years and 7 months?
Because it hasn’t budged since the February 1, 2023 jump from ₩3,800 to ₩4,800. Talk of another increase was shelved ahead of the June 2026 local elections, and as of September the fare still stands at ₩4,800.
But that 2023 hike hid a number. The announced increase was 26% — yet on the same day, the base distance shrank 20%, from 2 km to 1.6 km.
A 2 km ride used to cost ₩3,800. Today the same 2 km means the ₩4,800 base fare plus the charge for the 400 m past 1.6 km. At ₩100 per 131 m, that’s about ₩300 — roughly ₩5,100 total. ₩3,800 → ₩5,100: an effective 34% increase.
🚕 Seoul standard taxi base fare, 1963–2026 (unit: won)
| Date | Base fare | Base distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 30 | 2 km | The starting point of Seoul taxi fare records |
| 1966 | Not confirmed | 2 km | First-ever increase; both base and distance fares doubled |
| 1972 | 90 | — | Seoul Institute daily-consumption indicator |
| 1982 | 600 | — | First 20% late-night surcharge |
| 1985 | — | — | Time-and-distance combined charging introduced |
| 1988 | 800 | — | |
| 1994 | — | — | Switch to concurrent time-and-distance charging. The basis of today’s system |
| 1998 | 1,300 | — | 1,000 → 1,300. +30%. Right after the IMF crisis |
| 2001 | 1,600 | 2 km | +23% |
| 2009 | 2,400 | 2 km | |
| Oct 2013 | 3,000 | 2 km | |
| Feb 2019 | 3,800 | 2 km | +26% |
| 2023.02.01 | 4,800 | 1.6 km | +26%. Base distance cut from 2 km to 1.6 km |
| Sept 2026 | 4,800 | 1.6 km | Frozen 3 yrs 7 mo. Industry wants ₩5,500 |
From ₩30 in 1963 to ₩4,800 in 2026 is 160x. But start the clock at ₩90 in 1972 and it’s 53.3x — nearly the same trajectory as the subway’s 51.7x.
For travelers, what matters more is the surcharge structure. Depending on the hour, the same distance in a Seoul taxi can cost up to 60% more.
🚕 Seoul taxi fare structure and surcharges (as of September 2026)
| Item | Standard taxi | Deluxe / mobeom taxi |
|---|---|---|
| Base fare (day) | 4,800 won / 1.6 km | 7,000 won / 3 km |
| Distance fare | 100 won per 131 m | 200 won per 151 m |
| Time fare (≤15 km/h) | 100 won per 30 sec | 200 won per 36 sec |
| Late-night 22:00–23:00 | +20% | +20% |
| Late-night 23:00–02:00 | +40% | +20% |
| Late-night 02:00–04:00 | +20% | +20% |
| Out-of-city surcharge | +20% | +20% |
| Max combined | +60% | +40% |
| Actual late-night base fare | About 5,800–6,700 won | — |
For a standard taxi, the priciest window is 11 pm to 2 am. A 40% surcharge pushes the base fare alone to around ₩6,700. Leave Seoul and another 20% stacks on, for a maximum 60% surcharge. The final meter total is rounded to the nearest ₩10, and expressway/toll road fees are paid by the passenger at cost.
What to know before you hail a taxi
- Kakao T is the standard for hailing taxis in Korea. It has an English interface and accepts some overseas cards, though a few get declined. A phone dispatch fee runs ₩1,000 in the daytime and ₩2,000 at night; app dispatch fees vary by operator.
- Premium rides like Kakao Venti and Black start at ₩6,000–8,000, with surge pricing of 0.7x to 4.0x. When demand spikes, fares can quadruple. Hail one thoughtlessly in Gangnam or Hongdae on a Friday night and you'll pay several times what you expected.
- The international tourist taxis linking Incheon Airport and Seoul run on flat rates: ₩70,000–95,000 for a standard car, ₩100,000–140,000 for a large one, and ₩70,000–240,000 for charter-by-the-hour. They can cost more than the meter, but the price is fixed.
- Taxis are the one Seoul mode where transit-card transfer discounts don't apply. Step off the subway into a cab and the meter starts from zero.
Why did bus fares rise 187x?
Because the starting line was absurdly low. In 1965 a Seoul city bus cost ₩8. To ₩1,500 in 2026, that’s 187.5x — a rate of increase the subway (51.7x) and taxi (53.3x) can’t touch. The entire difference is that the subway already started at ₩30 in 1974.
🚌 Seoul city bus standard fare, 1965–2026 (unit: won)
| Date | City bus standard fare | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 8 | Starting point of the records |
| 1970s | 15 → 80 | |
| 1980s | Kept under 200 | |
| 1998 | 500 | |
| 2000 | 600 | |
| 2004.07 | 800 | Semi-public operating system introduced + integrated transfer reform |
| 2007 | 900 | Same fare as the subway |
| 2012 | 1,050 | Same fare as the subway |
| 2015 | 1,200 | Diverges from the subway’s ₩1,250 |
| 2023.08.12 | 1,500 | 1,200 → 1,500 |
| Sept 2026 | 1,500 | Frozen |
Here’s a fun fact: until 2012, Seoul’s subway and city bus fares were identical. Same timing, same increments — ₩900 in 2007, ₩1,050 in 2012. The two split in 2015: subway ₩1,250, bus ₩1,200. That ₩50 gap survives to this day as subway ₩1,550 vs bus ₩1,500.
July 2004 was the biggest turning point in Seoul bus history: the semi-public operating system arrived, along with the color-coded routes. Private companies still drive the buses, but the city funds them and controls the route rights. As of January 2026, city buses run 7,383 vehicles across 396 routes operated by 64 companies, while village buses run 1,626 vehicles across 253 routes by 140 operators. There are 6,307 curbside stops and 379 center-lane (median) stops.
The bus color tells you the fare
- Blue (trunk) — long routes linking the city center and subcenters. Three-digit numbers. ₩1,500
- Green (branch) — feeder routes into trunk lines and subways. Four-digit numbers. ₩1,500
- Yellow (circular) — loops around the city center. Two-digit numbers. ₩1,400
- Red (metropolitan) — direct from the outskirts into central Seoul. Seated service. ₩3,000
- Green mini (village) — neighborhood scale. ₩1,200
Only the red buses cost double — and they're not covered by the Climate Card. Just read the color.
Is 51.7x really that much?
As a raw multiple, yes, it rose a lot. But against other prices over the same years, it’s ordinary — and measured against income, the real burden actually shrank to a third.
Start with jajangmyeon. A bowl cost ₩138 in 1976. Today it runs ₩7,000–8,000. Roughly 54x.
51.7x
Subway 51.7x. Taxi 53.3x. Jajangmyeon about 54x. For half a century, the cost of moving around Seoul and the price of a bowl of noodles climbed at virtually the same pace.
📈 Prices across the same era (unit: won; years per source)
| Item | 1963 | 1976 | 1980 | 1991 | 1995 | 2000 | Sept 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway base fare | — | 30 (1974) | 80 | 250 (1990) | 400 | 600 | 1,550 |
| City bus | 8 (1965) | 15–80 | Under 200 | — | — | 600 | 1,500 |
| Taxi base fare | 30 | 90 (1972) | 600 (1982) | — | — | 1,600 (2001) | 4,800 |
| Jajangmyeon | 20–30 | 138 | 350 | 1,400 | 2,500 | 3,000 | About 7,000–8,000 |
| Rice (80 kg) | 3,010 | Over 10,000 (1972) | — | — | — | 202,532 | Not confirmed |
| Minimum wage (hourly) | None | None | None | 820 | — | 1,865 | 10,320 |
This piece couldn’t pin down the 2026 average jajangmyeon and rice prices to official statistics. The noodle price is an estimate based on street-level experience, so the 54x figure should be read as a rough order of magnitude.
The more honest comparison is burden relative to income: how many subway rides can one hour of minimum wage buy?
📈 Subway rides per hour of minimum wage (as of September 2026)
| Year | Minimum wage (hourly) | Subway base fare | 1 hour = rides |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 462.5 won | 200 won | 2.3 |
| 1991 | 820 won | 250 won | 3.3 |
| 2000 | 1,865 won | 600 won | 3.1 |
| 2007 | 3,480 won | 900 won | 3.9 |
| 2015 | 5,580 won | 1,250 won | 4.5 |
| 2020 | 8,590 won | 1,250 won | 6.9 |
| 2025 | 10,030 won | 1,550 won | 6.5 |
| 2026 | 10,320 won | 1,550 won | 6.7 |
In 1988, an hour of minimum wage bought you just over two subway rides. In 2026 it buys 6.7. Over that span the fare rose 7.75x, from ₩200 to ₩1,550, but the minimum wage rose 22.3x, from ₩462.5 to ₩10,320. The nominal fare went up; the felt burden dropped to a third.
The peak was 2020: with the minimum wage at ₩8,590 and the fare frozen at ₩1,250, one hour bought 6.9 rides. Two hikes in 2023 and 2025 pulled 2026 back slightly, to 6.7.
Why is Seoul’s subway cheaper than Tokyo’s?
Because fares have been kept artificially low — and the operator is paying for it with a staggering deficit. Seoul Metro’s accumulated deficit is about ₩18.9 trillion, and interest alone costs over ₩300 million a day.
Start with the international comparison. The table below includes only cities whose 2026 fares are officially confirmed.
🌏 Subway base fares in major world cities (as of September 2026, in local currency)
| City | Operator | Base (minimum) fare | Fare structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | Seoul Metro et al. | ₩1,550 (transit card) | Distance-based; base fare covers 10 km |
| Tokyo | Tokyo Metro | ¥178 (IC card) / ¥180 (ticket) | Distance-based; ¥178–¥324 |
| New York | MTA | US$3.00 | Flat; distance-independent |
| Paris | RATP / Île-de-France Mobilités | €2.55 (Métro-Train-RER single ticket) | Flat single ticket; bus/tram single ticket €2.05 |
No won conversion here. I couldn’t confirm the September 2026 exchange rates, and a wrong conversion could actually cost a reader money. London, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok were also left out because their 2026 base fares couldn’t be verified on official sites.
For context, Tokyo Metro fares were unchanged through 2025, but JR East raised fares on the Yamanote Line and others by an average 7.1% starting March 2026. In Tokyo, riding JR can now cost more than the subway.
New York and Paris are clearly pricier than Seoul. New York’s US$3 is flat regardless of distance — ride an hour from Brooklyn to the Bronx and it’s still US$3. Cover the same distance in Seoul and distance-based add-ons kick in. Even so, Seoul is cheaper.
Seoul is cheap because of a deficit, not efficiency
Here's Seoul Metro's 2024 financial report card.
- Net loss of ₩724.1 billion
- Operating loss of ₩945.5 billion (on ₩2.0681 trillion in revenue)
- Debt ₩7.3473 trillion / assets ₩15.8035 trillion / debt ratio 86.89%
- Accumulated deficit around ₩18.9 trillion, interest of over ₩300 million a day
And a big chunk of that deficit is free ridership. 7.51 million free riders a year, costing roughly ₩400 billion — about 42% of 2024's ₩945.5 billion operating loss. The remaining ₩545.5 billion is purely the gap between fares and cost.
The eight-year freeze from 2015's ₩1,250 to October 2023's ₩1,400 is cited as the direct cause of the swelling deficit. Seoul's subway is half the price of Paris and far cheaper than New York not because it's unusually efficient, but because its fares are pinned below cost.
Do people 65 and older really ride free?
Koreans aged 65 and over with local resident registration ride the urban rail for free. Foreign tourists 65 and older are not covered.
Free ridership covers seniors 65+, people with disabilities, persons of national merit, and accompanied children under 6 (up to three per adult). It requires a preferential transit card or valid ID. Because the system runs on preferential cards issued on the basis of resident registration, short-term foreign visitors simply can’t use it.
The policy traces back to the senior-preference provisions of the Welfare of Older Persons Act, enacted in 1981. It’s said to have begun as a 50% discount for ages 70+ in 1980, become a 50% discount for ages 65+ in 1982, and expanded to full free urban-rail rides for ages 65+ in 1984 — though this piece couldn’t verify the primary source for the 1984 start.
The push to raise the free-ride age to 70 gained steam in 2023 and flared again during the 2025 fare-hike debate. As of September 2026, the legal free-ride age remains 65.
One caution: even eligible riders who board without proof are treated as fare evaders. The surcharge can reach around ₩100,000.
Which card should travelers buy?
Staying within Seoul for three days or more? The Climate Card short-term pass is cheapest. A shorter stay, or trips to the outskirts or airport? A rechargeable T-money card is the easy choice.
The Climate Card is Seoul’s unlimited pass, launched for sale on January 23, 2024 and converted to a full service on July 1 that year. The 30-day pass ends September 30, 2026, but the short-term passes for travelers remain after October.
🎟️ Climate Card types and prices (as of September 2026, unit: won)
| Pass type | Price | After October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Short-term 1-day | 5,000 | Continues |
| Short-term 2-day | 8,000 | Continues |
| Short-term 3-day | 10,000 | Continues |
| Short-term 5-day | 15,000 | Continues |
| Short-term 7-day | 20,000 (youth 13,000) | Continues |
| 30-day (standard) | 62,000 | Ends 2026.09.30 |
| 30-day youth (19–34) | 55,000 | Ends 2026.09.30 |
| 30-day teen (13–18) | 55,000 | Ends 2026.09.30 |
| Postpaid | — | Ends 2026.10.01 |
At ₩1,550 per subway ride, the ₩5,000 1-day pass pays off from four rides a day. The ₩10,000 3-day pass needs seven rides over three days, and the ₩20,000 7-day pass needs thirteen rides a week to break even. Four moves a day is a normal Seoul day.
Coverage is the catch. On rail, it works on Lines 1–9 plus the Gyeongui–Jungang, Gyeongchun, Airport Railroad (AREX), Seohae, Suin–Bundang, Ui–Sinseol, Sillim, and Gyeonggang lines — in Seoul and adjacent sections. On bus, it covers Seoul city buses, village buses, and the Hangang River bus. Ddareungi (public bike) and some cultural-venue discounts come with it.
How to use a T-money card
- Where to buy — convenience stores (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven) and subway station vending machines. The card itself costs about ₩2,500–4,000, and you top it up with whatever you like. The card fee is not refundable.
- Where it works — subways, buses, taxis, even convenience-store purchases. Cashbee does the same and is compatible nationwide.
- Getting your balance back — before you leave, you can cash out the remaining balance at a convenience store and the like. A fee of around ₩500 applies. Check T-money's official guide for exact card and refund fees.
- You can skip the card — NFC-enabled foreign credit/debit cards or phones can be tapped right at the gates. On a short trip, not buying a card at all is a real option.
- Single-use cards — you can also buy a one-way ticket at station machines. It costs ₩100 more than the transit-card fare, plus a ₩500 deposit you get back at the arrival station's refund machine. Walk past that machine and you forfeit the ₩500.
Seoul Metro also sells its own subway commuter passes, though this piece couldn’t confirm the types and prices. In general, those passes are subway-only and don’t transfer to buses — so if you mix buses and subways, the Climate Card short-term pass is better.
For foreigners specifically, there’s the Discover Seoul Pass, sold in 24/48/72-hour versions with free entry to attractions and a built-in T-money transit function. Note that transit fares are deducted from a topped-up balance, so it’s not unlimited. Check the official site for 2026 prices.
How do you save on fares?
The surest way is to follow the transfer rules; the second is to catch your first ride before 6:30 am. Master those two and your Seoul transit costs are nearly optimized.
The metropolitan integrated transfer discount has run since April 1, 2007. Switch between subway and bus and you don’t pay the base fare again — you only pay distance-based add-ons on top of your cumulative distance.
Transfer and discount rules
- Tagging off is mandatory. If you don't tap your card when leaving the bus, the transfer benefit vanishes on the spot — the single most common way travelers lose money in Seoul. On the subway you're tagged automatically as you exit the gates.
- Board your next ride within 30 minutes to keep the transfer. But from 9 pm to 7 am the window stretches to 60 minutes. Nights are more forgiving.
- Up to 4 transfers (5 total boardings) are allowed.
- Re-boarding the same-number bus doesn't count as a transfer. Overshoot by a stop and ride back the other way, and you'll pay again.
- Early-morning discount — board before 6:30 am and 20% comes off the base fare. Transit card only: subway ₩1,240, trunk bus ₩1,200, metropolitan bus ₩2,400. If you're on the move at dawn, you'll feel it.
- Late at night, choose the owl bus (N bus) over a taxi. At ₩2,500 it's less than half a surge-priced taxi (which starts at ₩6,700). Look for blue buses with an N in the number.
Even with transfers, some sections add extra charges: the independently priced lines. The Shinbundang Line adds ₩500–1,900 depending on the section, and the Airport Railroad’s Cheongna International City–Incheon Airport Terminal 2 stretch sits outside the integrated transfer scheme. The Yongin Everline costs ₩200 extra, and the Uijeongbu Light Rail and GTX-A are separate systems too. If the fare your map app quoted doesn’t match the gate, these lines are usually why.
The Airport Railroad splits into an Express (non-stop) and All-Stop service. The Express runs Seoul Station to Incheon Airport Terminal 2 with no stops in 43 minutes at a 75 km/h average speed. The All-Stop calls at every station, taking about 60 minutes at 58 km/h. There are separate adult, child, and foreigner discount fares, but this piece couldn’t verify the amounts on the official site. Check fares on the Airport Railroad’s official site before you ride. I won’t guess here — a wrong fare is real money.
What changes in October 2026?
The entire Seoul transit-pass system gets reorganized. The Climate Card 30-day pass ends, the postpaid service ends, and the national refund scheme gets renamed — all while a temporary discount expires, all at once.
K-Pass is the Ministry of Land’s transit refund scheme, launched May 1, 2024 as the successor to the Thrifty Transit Card. On August 12, 2026, it was renamed Modueui Card — barely a month ago.
💳 Modueui Card (formerly K-Pass) refund rates (as of September 2026)
| Type | Base refund | Off-peak commute hours |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20% | 50% |
| Youth · 2 children · seniors | 30% | 60% |
| 3 children | 50% | 80% |
| Low-income | 53.3% | 83.3% |
A lot changed in 2026: the 60-rides-a-month cap and 2-rides-a-day limit were abolished, and the senior refund rate rose from 20% to 30%. A flat-rate option that refunds everything above a set amount is new too. That flat-rate threshold was ₩62,000 for the standard tier, but tied to the odd-even driving ban, it was temporarily cut to ₩30,000 from April through September 2026. Youth/2-children/seniors pay ₩25,000; 3-children/low-income ₩22,000.
The catch: that temporary cut ends in September — exactly when the Climate Card 30-day pass sunsets.
That said, the Modueui Card is effectively off-limits to foreign tourists. Eligibility is tied to Korean resident registration and aimed at residents aged 19+, so short-term visitors can’t use it. It was expanded to all regions nationwide on February 4, 2026, but that expansion targeted domestic residents.
What travelers actually need to do in October 2026
- Short-stay travelers (7 days or less) — nothing changes. The Climate Card short-term passes remain: ₩5,000 for 1 day, ₩10,000 for 3, ₩20,000 for 7.
- Stays of a month or longer — from October you can't buy the ₩62,000 30-day pass. You'll need to check the successor Climate Companion Pass's price and terms.
- Post-October info — many guides still online from early 2026 were written around the 30-day pass. Check the date before you rely on them.
So what’s the takeaway from 52 years?
From ₩30 in 1974 to ₩1,550 in 2026 — 51.7x. The number looks big, but it tracks the price of jajangmyeon over the same years, and relative to income the burden fell to a third. Seoul’s subway is on par with Tokyo and clearly cheaper than Paris or New York.
Behind that cheap fare sits an accumulated deficit of ₩18.9 trillion. In 2024 alone, an operating loss of ₩945.5 billion, of which ₩400 billion was free ridership. The city froze fares for 8 years, then raised them twice in two years. And taxis have now been stuck for 3 years and 7 months, with the industry asking for ₩5,500.
The ₩1,550 that flashes as you pass through a Seoul gate is a number built from 52 years of political decisions. When it changes next — and to what — hasn’t been decided yet.
Sources
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