Passengers on a KTX train from Suseo to Busan found that seats they had reserved did not exist when they boarded on October 2. The train left Suseo Station at 9:05 a.m., and passengers in several cars discovered that the seating layout did not match the reservations shown in the Korail app.
In Car 4, seats were installed only through Row 11, while Rows 12 through 14 were missing. Four seats per row were absent, leaving 12 unavailable seats in that car alone. Passengers who had booked those places were left searching the carriage and checking their tickets to make sure they had boarded the correct train.
Some passengers used fold-down seats, while others stood in the train corridors.
The problem extended beyond Car 4. A total of 31 seats were missing across the train. Some passengers used fold-down seats in the connection areas, while others stood in the train corridors. Six passengers did not receive alternative seats and had to travel standing until they reached their destinations, including one passenger who said the journey to Seodaegu took more than an hour and a half.
Korail said the shortage occurred because a different train type was dispatched from the one originally intended for the service. The company said it is investigating how the substitution happened. Asked whether the incident was connected to the integrated operation of KTX and SRT services, Korail said it was not related.
- Train departure
- 9:05 a.m. from Suseo Station to Busan
- Missing seats
- 31 seats across the train
- Passengers without replacement seats
- Six passengers traveled standing
- Korail refund offer
- 25 percent of the original fare for those six passengers
Korail said it would refund 25 percent of the original fare for the six passengers who traveled standing. It said a full refund would not be provided because the passengers still reached their destinations. The incident leaves the cause of the train substitution and the checks used to match ticket sales with the actual carriage configuration as key points for follow-up.