Booking is through KORAIL’s mobile application and its holiday booking page, where the current notice specifies that only registered holders of KORAIL’s integrated membership can use this sale. The holiday itself is established by official calendar determinations: the national calendar institute designates September 24 to September 26 as the Chuseok holidays, with Chuseok day falling on Friday, September 25, 2026. The institute’s calendar publication identifies September 24 to September 27 as a continuous stretch of four days. This publishes a ticket window and travel period; it does not state that commercial establishments across the country shut down.
How You Actually Reach Busan: The Flight Network and Connection Links
At Gimhae International Airport (PUS), Air Busan prints these international routes on its own route list (checked September 5, 2026): Tokyo (Narita), Osaka (Kansai), Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Takamatsu, Shizuoka, Sapporo (New Chitose), Matsuyama, Qingdao, Xi’an, Yanji, Zhangjiajie, Guangzhou, Macao, Taipei (Taoyuan), Kaohsiung, Ulaanbaatar, Da Nang, Kota Kinabalu, Nha Trang, Bangkok, Cebu, Bali, and Guam. That documents twenty-four routes published by one carrier on its own route list. It is not the airport’s full catalogue and it is not an operational daily flight schedule.
Beyond that route list, no summary line giving a total number of international destinations or carriers appears on the Korea Airports Corporation pages for Gimhae checked on September 5, 2026, and the airport’s schedule tables are generated dynamically and did not render. That leaves the long-haul question open rather than answered: nothing found here establishes that a direct service to the United Kingdom, Ireland, or North America exists, and nothing found here establishes that one does not. What the operators do document is the connection, and it starts at Incheon.
From Incheon onward, the national carrier’s published Incheon transfer guide lists «부산, 대구행 환승전용 내항기» (“transfer-only domestic flights to Busan and Daegu”). This service operates exclusively as a dedicated transfer product for international connecting passengers, not as an ordinary Incheon–Busan domestic ticket. From Gimpo to Busan, Korea Airports Corporation’s current schedule rows did not render, so no carrier is named for that pair on the pages checked.
From Incheon to high-speed rail, Incheon International Airport Corporation publishes a connecting bus from Incheon Airport to Gwangmyeong Station, running 05:00–20:20 at intervals of 20 to 30 minutes. Incheon International Airport Corporation prints no route number and no journey time on that page. For capital connections, see our guide to Seoul’s airport and transit connections.
High-Speed Rail: The KTX Network and the September 1 Reorganisation
From September 1, 2026, KORAIL operates high-speed services in an integrated structure: «9월 1일부터 고속철도를 통합 운영» (“high-speed rail will be operated in an integrated manner from September 1”) and «분리됐던 고속철도 차량을 KTX로 통합 운용» (“previously separated high-speed rolling stock now run as one KTX system”), per an official release dated August 5, 2026. The published rail fare for the Seoul–Busan section is 54,400원. KORAIL ties that 54,400원 figure to the Seoul–Busan section on high-speed rail without specifying a travel class.
For journey time, KORAIL published 2 hours 17 minutes on a shortest-time basis for the Gyeongbu Line, in a release dated February 11, 2025 regarding a specific train type. Following the September 1 reorganisation, no updated static figure was found. KORAIL’s timetable interface did not return rows, so no first and last departure for Thursday, September 10, 2026 could be read from it. Trains terminate downtown at 부산역 — Busan Station.
KORAIL sells tourist rail passes of 2, 3, 4, and 5 days at 131,000 / 186,000 / 234,000 / 275,000원 (release dated December 29, 2025); companion card 코레일패스 플러스 — KorailPassPlus is 8,000원. KORAIL’s active pass page states that the pass does not include SRT, the metropolitan railway, and temporary tourist trains. Meanwhile, KORAIL announced on August 5, 2026 that SRT rolling stock is being renamed KTX-Sancheon under the unified KTX operational system. KORAIL has not restated the exclusion wording on its pass page, leaving the published exclusion text un-updated.
Out of Gimhae Airport: Light Rail, Road Transit, and Taxis
The airport itself is split rather than numbered. Korea Airports Corporation lists 국내선 and 국제선 — domestic and international — as separate passenger buildings, and prints no count of terminals as such. A free shuttle runs between them from 05:00 to 22:50 at ten-minute intervals, «이용요금 | 무료» (“fare: free”). No walking time between the buildings appears on that shuttle page, so the shuttle is the published way across.
The light rail serves the airport: Korea Airports Corporation publishes «경전철 ‘공항역’이 있습니다» (“there is an LRT ‘Airport Station'”), and the line’s operator publishes the station as 공항 — Gimhae International Airport. Interchanges connect at 대저역(3호선) — Daejeo Station (Line 3) and 사상역(2호선) — Sasang Station (Line 2). First trains from the airport station depart at 05:06 toward 가야대(삼계) and 05:33 toward 사상; the last train toward 사상 departs at 00:10.
A published schedule conflict exists for the final service of the day: the last train from 공항 station toward 가야대(삼계) is 23:47 on the station’s own page and 23:48 on the same operator’s first and last overview. One minute, one operator, two pages. The line’s operator publishes no retrievable row for weekday service intervals or journey times to interchanges.
Busan Transportation Corporation lists the light rail among modes covered by the municipal transfer system, and the operator announced the inter-regional surcharge was abolished on September 19, 2025. For surface buses, Korea Airports Corporation lists 좌석버스 1009, 시내버스 307, and 마을버스 11, 13. Busan Metropolitan City’s bus information system did not return retrievable rows, so no endpoints, intervals or first and last departures for those numbers could be read from it. Korea Airports Corporation names limousine buses to Haeundae and Seomyeon; current fares and intervals are unpublished by Korea Airports Corporation on that page.
Outside terminal arrivals, Korea Airports Corporation publishes a meter tariff of ￦4,800 / 2km for standard taxis, with night surcharges of 20% from 23:00 to 24:00, 30% from 24:00 to 02:00, and 20% from 02:00 to 04:00. That page prints a meter tariff and estimated fares by destination rather than a fixed airport-to-city fare, and Korea Airports Corporation notes fares may change depending on traffic conditions. Korea Airports Corporation publishes no road distance to the city center, giving travel time to a named point: 서면(롯데호텔) — Seomyeon (Lotte Hotel), 45 minutes.
The Metro Fare Structure and the Day Pass Boundary Trap
Busan’s metro operates on a section tariff system. According to Busan Transportation Corporation, adult single fares by transit card or mobile payment cost 1,600원 for one section and 1,800원 for two; by paper QR tickets, 1,700원 and 1,900원. Transfer rules permit up to two transfers between qualifying municipal transit modes within 30 minutes of alighting from a vehicle.
Busan Transportation Corporation sells a day pass, 1일권, for 6,000원. Busan Transportation Corporation explicitly establishes that the 1일권 day pass covers unlimited rides on municipal metro lines only: buses, the Donghae Line, and the Busan–Gimhae light rail are not included. Because the day pass does not cover the light rail that serves the airport, the airport journey is paid separately.
Regarding station ticket machines, payment compatibility carries clear documentation limits. No statement confirming whether foreign-issued Visa or Mastercard payment cards operate at station turnstiles or automated vending machines appears on the Busan Transportation Corporation pages checked, and Busan Transportation Corporation publishes no cash top-up details for transit cards on the operator pages checked.
Currency, Tax Invoicing, and Retail Payment Regulations
Commercial transactions in Busan operate in the South Korean won. The National Tax Service publishes a standard value-added tax rate of 10% across all commercial sectors. For international travelers, the Korea Customs Service outlines an immediate tax refund system available at participating retail shops, allowing purchasers to pay the tax-excluded price at the point of sale. The Korea Customs Service sets statutory transaction ceilings of under 1,000,000원 for an individual purchase and 5,000,000원 or less in total across a visit. The Korea Customs Service publishes no minimum purchase threshold on that informational page.
Retail payment practices are subject to verified central bank observations. In its official consumer payment publications, the Bank of Korea writes that stores which do not accept cash have also appeared. That observation documents that cash-restricted merchants exist within South Korea’s retail economy. It confirms that non-cash businesses operate in commercial districts; it does not confirm that South Korea is an entirely card-exclusive payment environment. For municipal price comparison, admission to the Busan Museum is free, with the city museum publishing «관람료 무료» across its official guidance.
Border Entry: Temporary K-ETA Waivers, Passport Rules, and Health Controls
Entry procedures for international tourists currently benefit from a temporary administrative exemption. The Ministry of Justice K-ETA centre published an official extension notice: «K-ETA 한시 면제 연장 기간: 2026. 1. 1. ~ 2026. 12. 31.» (“K-ETA temporary exemption extension period: January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026”). The extension notice is dated December 23, 2025 and applies to the countries already exempt; the underlying measure names 22 countries («22개국»), the United Kingdom and the United States among them, in a Ministry of Justice notice dated March 30, 2023. Eligible travelers entering South Korea on or before December 31, 2026, do not need to apply for electronic travel authorization before travel. If a traveler from an exempt nation chooses to submit a voluntary K-ETA application, the processing fee is 10,000원.
Permitted durations of stay are governed by bilateral visa agreements. For United States passport holders, the immigration portal HiKorea records a visa-free stay allowance of 90 days («미국(90)», on a page last modified December 30, 2024). For British citizens, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United Kingdom publishes on its English page that visitors can enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Regarding passport validity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an explicit directive on January 2, 2026: “There is no requirement on the passport’s remainder validity for entry.”
Public health inspection is governed by electronic monitoring based on travel geography. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency requires arriving passengers to submit Q-CODE health questionnaires based on where they arrive from rather than their nationality. Under quarantine regulations effective September 7, 2026, designated areas in the Americas include only the United States (New Mexico, Washington). The United Kingdom is not listed among the designated quarantine inspection regions on that September 7, 2026 list. Because health authority quarantine designations are updated periodically, travelers arriving from designated American jurisdictions must verify active Q-CODE entry requirements prior to departure.
Maritime Departures: International Ferries to Japan and Domestic Suspension
Beyond aviation links, Busan has scheduled sea crossings to Japan. The sailings listed by the Busan Port Authority run from 부산항 국제여객터미널 — Busan Port International Passenger Terminal. According to schedules published by the Busan Port Authority, scheduled international sea crossings connect Busan with Japanese ports: Busan ↔ Fukuoka is scheduled daily with operator 고려훼리(주) aboard vessel 뉴카멜리아호, with published crossing durations of 6 hours inbound and 9 hours outbound. Busan ↔ Shimonoseki is scheduled with operator 부관훼리(주) with a published crossing duration of 11 hours. Crossings to Tsushima include Busan ↔ Tsushima (Hitakatsu) taking 1 hour 20 minutes, and Busan ↔ Tsushima (Izuhara) taking 2 hours 20 minutes, with operator ㈜대아고속해운. These figures represent published timetable schedules rather than live port observations on our publication date.
In contrast to international sea links, domestic ferry operations face disruption. The Busan Port Authority announces that domestic ferry service connecting Busan with Jeju Island is suspended, publishing «운항이 … 임시 중단 … 재개일 미정» (“service is temporarily suspended, restart date undetermined”). The route is not running, and the authority gives no date for its return. To reach the international passenger ferry terminal, the Busan Port Authority publishes directions: Busan Station Exit 6, then a 10-minute walk, alongside surface bus lines 5-1 and 1004. That guidance page prints no metro line number.
For travelers exploring coastal passenger transit along Busan’s eastern waterfront, see our companion guide to the closed railway line along the sea that now carries passengers.
Civil Time: The Standard Clock
Korea’s standard time is UTC+9, as the national met service prints it. The United Kingdom is on British Summer Time, UTC+1, until the clocks go back on 25 October 2026 — the government’s own dates. So on the day this piece is published, Busan is eight hours ahead of London, and from the change on 25 October it is nine.
Korea’s daylight-saving regulation was repealed with effect from May 8, 1989 (Presidential Decree No. 12703) — «일광절약시간제실시에관한규정은 이를 폐지한다».
Future Aviation Infrastructure: Gadeokdo New Airport
For future aviation, 가덕도신공항 — Gadeokdo New Airport is planned offshore. Busan Metropolitan City published an infrastructure update on March 5, 2026, stating that basic design work has commenced, with priority works planned for the second half of this year. Physical construction is not described as under way.
The municipal target opening is now scheduled for the second half of 2035. This amended the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s earlier December 2029 target (published December 28, 2023). Neither that update nor the city’s current status pages says whether Gadeokdo New Airport will replace Gimhae or operate alongside it.
Calendar Context: Working Days and Autumn Gatherings
Thursday, September 10, 2026, is a working Thursday across South Korea, falling outside statutory holiday periods. On our publication date, 2026 월드 스마트시티 엑스포 (WSCE 2026) runs September 9–11, 2026 at BEXCO, per the city’s release of August 18, 2026.
Later autumn dates include the 2026 부산국제록페스티벌 (October 2–4, 2026), the 31st Busan International Film Festival (October 6–15, 2026), and the 제21회 부산불꽃축제 — 21st Busan Fireworks Festival (November 7, 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get from Gimhae airport into Busan?
Board the Busan–Gimhae Light Rail from 공항 — Gimhae International Airport station to Daejeo Station (Line 3) or Sasang Station (Line 2). First trains run at 05:06 toward 가야대(삼계) and 05:33 toward 사상. Alternatively, metered taxis operate at ￦4,800 / 2km, with a 45-minute guide time to Seomyeon (Lotte Hotel). The municipal 1일권 day pass does not cover the airport light rail.
Do you need a K-ETA for South Korea?
Citizens holding passports from 22 countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, are exempt from K-ETA requirements through December 31, 2026. The voluntary application fee is 10,000원. Visa-free stay is 90 days for US citizens and up to 90 days for UK citizens.
How long is the train from Seoul to Busan?
KORAIL published a travel time of 2 hours 17 minutes on a shortest-time basis for the Gyeongbu Line, in a release dated February 11, 2025. High-speed rail operates under KORAIL’s integrated service launched September 1, 2026, with the Seoul–Busan fare published at 54,400원. First and last departures for September 10, 2026 could not be read from KORAIL’s timetable interface.
Is there a ferry from Busan to Japan?
Yes, scheduled passenger ferries run from 부산항 국제여객터미널 — Busan Port International Passenger Terminal. Published schedules list daily Fukuoka crossings on 뉴카멜리아호 (6 hours inbound, 9 hours outbound), Shimonoseki sailings on 부관훼리(주) (11 hours), and Tsushima services on ㈜대아고속해운 (1 hour 20 minutes to Hitakatsu, 2 hours 20 minutes to Izuhara).
