The new high-speed Donghae Line KTX-Eum now makes travelling along South Korea's east coast both faster and easier. At the same time, the country continues to develop its extensive rail network with tourist-friendly train journeys, international booking solutions and new initiatives for sustainable travel.
On 30th December 2025, the Donghae Line KTX-Eum began operating the route between Gangneung and Busan along South Korea's east coast. The travel time between the cities has thus been shortened by a full hour compared to before, now taking approximately 3 hours and 50 minutes. Furthermore, the new line makes it possible to travel all the way without changes, which improves accessibility between several of the country's coastal cities and regions. One of the unique advantages of the new line is how easily travellers can step off a high-speed train and straight onto the sand, which is a major draw for environmentally conscious travellers and those travelling without a car.
The train passes through a total of eleven stations in Gangwon State and Gyeongsangbuk-do before reaching Busan in the south. Stops include Jeongdongjin, Donghae, Samcheok, and Gyeongju, among others. These are areas renowned for their coastal landscapes, sea views, and cultural heritage sites. In several places along the route, discounts are also offered to visitors who show a valid train ticket, including for various coastal activities such as taking cable cars over the sea or riding rail bikes with unique views.
For a long time, South Korea has been building one of Asia's most well-developed railway systems, where high-speed trains such as KTX and SRT are complemented by regional lines and special tourist trains. For international visitors, booking train travel has simultaneously become easier through multilingual services and digital solutions via, among others, Korail and the travel platform Klook. Travellers can now book directly on their mobile phones and show mobile vouchers instead of printed tickets.
Alongside its high-speed lines, South Korea has also developed several themed tourist trains that focus more on the experience than travel time. Among these are, for example, the West Gold Train (G-Train), whose carriages are inspired by traditional Korean houses and include so-called ondol rooms with underfloor heating, as well as the V-Train, which travels through mountain landscapes and ravines in the Baekdudaegan Mountains. The South Coast Train (S-Train) runs through beautiful parts of the country's south coast, passing several small coastal towns and tea-growing areas.
For foreign visitors, the Korail Pass is offered, a train pass exclusively for international travellers which provides unlimited access to a large part of the rail network for a set period of time. The pass also covers several tourist trains and has become a way to make longer train journeys through the country more cost-effective.
South Korea is also continuing to invest in the railways of the future. The country is currently developing the next generation of high-speed trains with a planned top speed of 370 km/h, which is expected to reduce travel time between Seoul and Busan to under two hours in the long term.
