Starting on the 20th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 15th that passengers on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line and the Suin-Bundang Line who re-enter within 15 minutes after exiting will be exempt from the base fare. Subway fares consist of a base fare (1,550 won for 10 km) plus a distance-based fare.
Until now, if passengers exited the gates for urgent needs such as using the restroom, they had to call a staff member to use an emergency gate or pay the fare again. The exemption benefit applies to transit card users and can be used only once during a single subway trip.
Lines 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, operated by Seoul Metro, already process re-entry within 15 minutes as a transfer. This system will be expanded to sections of Subway Lines 1, 3 and 4 and the Suin-Bundang, Gyeongui-Jungang, Gyeonggang and Seohae lines operated by Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL).
An official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "With the implementation of this system, we expect riders to save about 5.6 billion won a year (about 6.04 million cases) in transportation costs," and noted, "Even in everyday situations such as using the restroom, checking for lost items or getting off by mistake, passengers will not have to pay additional fares, significantly improving the convenience of using metropolitan subways."