International Rail opens up rail travel in South Korea

South Korea is increasingly joining UK travellers must do lists and what better way to explore this diverse and fascinating country than by train. For the first time, Brits can now easily purchase their Korean Railways (Korail) point to point tickets and passes through the worldwide rail specialist, International Rail.

This development will further open up South Korea to the UK and with the designation of 2010-2012 as 'Visit Korea Year' and the recent announcement of the 'Historic Villages of Hahoe & Yangdong' as the 10^th site to be inscribed onto the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listing, plus many events and festivals, in 2011 Korea is the destination of choice.

Furthermore, sports fans in particular are looking to South Korea this year with a wide range of sporting events to be enjoyed, including The World Taekwondo Festival taking place in May. Here visitors and enthusiasts can watch the very best competitors compete at the home of the sport. This is followed by the IAAF World Athletics Championships in August and the Korean F1 Grand Prix in October. By taking the train, visitors can now combine these events with other areas and activities of interest to them within the country, be that Temple stays, the arts and culture or exploring the history or enjoying the city life. Indeed athletics fans can stay throughout the Championships in Seoul and just take the high speed KTX train to the event in Daegu on a daily basis.

For visitors looking for this freedom and ease of exploration, the Korean Rail Pass (KR Pass) is the best buy. The KR Pass offers discounted unlimited rail travel throughout Korea over a 3, 5, 7 10 consecutive day period and allows unlimited travel on all services run by Korail including the high speed KTX trains*. Prices for the 3 day pass start at just £51 per person.

Alternatively, point to point tickets are also available on www.internationalrail.com with services operating throughout South Korea. These allow UK visitors to make one specific journey or a number of individual journeys over a longer time frame. Buying the tickets beforehand or as part of a tour operator package allows the customers to know exact times and requirements for their journey and so feel confident in taking the train.

To book the KR Pass or point to point tickets, or find out more information visit www.internationalrail.com or call one of the rail experts on 0871 231 0790.(Calls cost 10p per minute from UK landlines, charges from mobiles and international calls will vary.)

*All travel will be in 2^nd class, however 1^st class and overnight sleeper travel is possible upon payment of a supplement which is usually about half the price of the regular fare.

International Rail offer the worlds' largest selection of rail journeys and passes, built from over twenty years' experience in the travel industry. Visitors to www.internationalrail.com can create and book unique and exciting itineraries across the world at the click of a mouse.

For all media enquiries, potential press visits or image requests please contact:

Becky Fairlie-Clarke

PR Consultant - International Rail

Magic Torch PR

T: 07974 306 579

E: press@internationalrail.com