The number of fraudulent rides detected on KTX, SRT, and other trains without tickets during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays has more than doubled over the past five years.
According to data submitted by Representative Ahn Tae-jun of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, from Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) and SR (SRT operator), the total number of fraudulent rides detected during last year's holiday season was 21,776, with 8,641 for Lunar New Year and 13,135 for Chuseok from 2020 to 2024.
Last year, Korail detected 5,629 fraudulent rides during Lunar New Year and 9,051 during Chuseok, totaling 14,680, while SR detected 3,012 during Lunar New Year and 4,084 during Chuseok, totaling 7,096.
During the holiday season, the combined number of fraudulent rides detected by Korail and SR was 9,440 in 2020 and 9,506 in 2021, remaining below 10,000. However, this increased to 11,244 in 2022, 13,353 in 2023, and surged in a single year by 63% last year. Korail and SR explained that this was due to strengthened fraud detection efforts through dedicated inspection teams during the holiday period.
The additional fares imposed on passengers caught riding fraudulently also saw a significant increase. During last year's holiday period, Korail and SR imposed additional fares totaling over 578 million won ($578,000), including 228 million won ($228,000) for Lunar New Year and 350 million won ($350,000) for Chuseok. Of this, Korail imposed 496 million won ($496,000), while SR imposed 82 million won ($82,000). The total is a 74% increase compared to 2023, which was 332 million won ($332,000).
From 2020 to last year, the total additional fares imposed on fraudulent passengers by Korail and SR during 10 holiday periods reached 1.56 billion won ($1.56 million), with Korail imposing 1.33 billion won ($1.33 million) and SR imposing 230 million won ($230,000).
Both companies noted that they refer passengers who refuse to pay the additional fares to the railroad police or file lawsuits. In the case of Korail, from June 2021 to June last year, civil lawsuits were filed against seven individuals who refused to pay, winning one case and completing the collection. The remaining lawsuits are ongoing.
Representative Ahn Tae-jun emphasized, "The practice of boarding trains without tickets during holidays is commonplace, and fraudulent rides are a clear criminal act that requires more effective sanctions."