Busan to Mokpo by Train: Across Korea’s South Coast

The route

Think of the line in two halves. From Busan west to Boseong, the train runs on the old Gyeongjeon line, through Jinju and Suncheon. From Boseong to Mokpo it runs on a new line, opened on 27 September 2025.

Before the new line, the old line turned north at Boseong towards Gwangju. To reach Mokpo by train you went up to Gwangju and came back down the other side, a long dog-leg. The new line goes straight across the south-west corner instead.

The towns on the way have long been written about. Pak Kyong-ni set her novel Land near Hadong, and Jo Jung-rae set The Taebaek Mountains in Beolgyo, where he grew up. At Gangjin the scholar Jeong Yak-yong spent eighteen years in exile, from 1801, and wrote most of his books there.

What the rail journey is like

The S-train leaves Busan Station a little after half past eight. Korail named it for the south and the sea, and for the S-shaped curves of the south coast; slow and sightseeing were part of the idea too. It is a short train of five cars, fitted out as themed rooms: a tea room where passengers sit on the floor, a family car, a café car, a “healing” car and an event car.

Out of the city the train runs beside the Nakdong, wide and slow, with steep wooded hills on the other side of the tracks. Then the river falls away and the line turns west through the towns of Changwon and Masan. By Jinju the country is quieter, with small fields, low hills and little stations.

About two hours in, the train reaches Hadong and crosses the Seomjin, a broad, clear river with sandbanks, and the border between Gyeongsang and Jeolla. Beyond Suncheon the land opens into a wide rice plain running down towards Suncheon Bay. In autumn the fields are gold, and this is the stretch people remember. Some of the stations here are unstaffed halts with a few houses around them.

At Deungnyang the station street still looks as it did in the 1970s, and photographers come for it. From Sinboseong the train is on the new line and runs faster, past Jangheung and Gangjin to Haenam, whose station opened in 2025. The last stop before Mokpo is Yeongam, and the train arrives in Mokpo in the early afternoon.

Despite its name, this is not a train for sea views. It shows the inland south, its rivers and its farmland, and the towns where the food is famous. Treat it as a day of stops across a region few visitors cross by rail: step off at Hadong or Suncheon, and catch a later train on.

The stages

Times are rough, from the S-train. The daily Saemaeul starts at Bujeon and is about a quarter of an hour faster; the Mugunghwa is about 45 minutes slower.

Stops worth breaking the journey for

With so few trains, plan each stop around the next departure. Buy a separate ticket for each leg; we could not confirm that one ticket lets you get off and continue later.

Jinju

A fortress city on the Nam River, defended in the Japanese invasions of the 1590s. Walk the walls to Chokseongnu pavilion above the water, and eat Jinju’s cold buckwheat noodles. In October lanterns float on the river for the city’s festival.

Hadong

The Seomjin River town where Gyeongsang meets Jeolla. Wild tea grows in the valleys above it, and river clams are the local dish. A short drive away, the village of Pyeongsa-ri keeps the house from Pak Kyong-ni’s novel Land.

Suncheon

The wetlands of Suncheon Bay, reed beds and mudflats where cranes winter, and the gardens of the national garden. Naganeupseong, a walled village of thatched houses, is a bus ride away. Two nights here are easy to fill.

Haenam

The south-west corner of the mainland, given its first station in 2025. Daeheungsa, a mountain temple listed by UNESCO, stands among camellias on Duryunsan. Ttangkkeut, Land’s End, is a bus ride further on, looking out over the islands.

Planning the journey

Which side should I sit on?

The left as you leave Busan, for the Nakdong River in the first hour; the right on the way back. After that, passengers report no better side. Choose a window seat when you book; on a ride this long, the view is much of the reason to go.

Should I ride the S-train or the ordinary train?

Ride the S-train if it runs on your day: its themed cars make the long ride part of the trip. It runs only from Friday to Sunday, one train each way, and not at all from 1 December 2026 to 31 January 2027. On other days, or if you want to arrive sooner, take the daily Saemaeul. The Mugunghwa is cheaper and an hour slower.

Which class should I book?

Standard class, at the fares above, unless the app offers you more. We could not confirm whether these trains sell first-class seats, or whether the S-train is sold at the Saemaeul standard or first-class fare, so compare in the app when you book.

How do I book, and what does it cost?

Book in Korail’s Korail+ app, which replaced Korail Talk in August 2026 and takes a passport, on Korail’s English website, or at a station ticket office. The daily Saemaeul costs ₩32,600 from Bujeon to Mokpo and the Mugunghwa ₩21,900. We could not confirm the full S-train fare, which follows the Saemaeul fare, or whether the English website sells it, so check in the app. Book the S-train early for weekends.

The Korea Rail Pass covers the Saemaeul and Mugunghwa with a seat reservation. Sellers disagree on whether it covers the S-train, so check with Korail before you rely on it. Our guide to getting around Korea covers booking and stations in full.

Can I go there and back in a day?

Only on an S-train day, and it means ten hours on the train for two hours in Mokpo. From Busan, though, you can ride the S-train out to Hadong or Suncheon in the morning and catch it home in the evening. That makes a long day trip on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Better still, ride one way and stay a night at Suncheon or Mokpo.

Can I travel with a mobility need, or with luggage?

Partly, as far as we can find. Korail’s checks before the new line opened covered the lifts at its new stations, but we could not confirm access at the older stations or on board the S-train, whose cars are rebuilt older coaches. Ask Korail when you book. We could not confirm the luggage space either, so travel light. The S-train has carried bicycles, but check that it still does before you bring one.

If the journey breaks down

With only a few trains a day, one cancellation can leave a long wait, so have a bus fallback for your stops. Korail takes the S-train off for inspections; the next break is 1 December 2026 to 31 January 2027, when the daily trains still run. Check the Korail+ app on the morning you travel. The timetable will change again as the lines are upgraded.