Booking transportation will be made easier for foreigners, KTO says

Express buses are parked at the Express Bus Terminal at Seocho District, southern Seoul. [NEWS1]

Getting around in Korea is to be made easier for foreigners.

The Korean Tourism Organization is signing a memorandum of understanding Wednesday with eight transport and mobility companies to make booking transportation services easier for overseas visitors.

The signatories of the MOU will include bullet train operator SR, Korea Express Bus Association, Tmoney, Klook, Kakao Mobility, Tmap Mobility, Lotte Rental and Visa Korea, according to an announcement Tuesday.

Klook, an online travel booking platform, will roll out a system where foreigners can buy express bus tickets that will be available in 24 languages and accept foreign credit cards and e-wallet payment methods like Apple Play, PayPal and Alipay.

SR will create a booking and payment system that operates in foreign languages. The decision also follows the Interior Ministry's announcement last week to allow using foreign credit cards for SRT ticket purchases within the first half of this year.

Kakao Mobility announced it will partner with an overseas mobility company to make it easier for foreigners to use Kakao T services, although further plans weren't specified. Currently, users need a Korean phone number to register their credit cards on the Kakao T application.

Visa Korea said it will allow passengers to make payments on tourist taxis using various contactless payment methods.

"The transport and mobility industry acknowledges that we need to provide accessible transport services for foreign tourists, and we plan to improve the local transport system," a KTO spokesperson said. "We will improve the system so that short-term tourists can use transportation services without language barriers or registration difficulties."

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]