A notice about the Everyone Card (K-Pass) is posted at Seoul Station. Yonhap News

The Metropolitan Transport Commission (Daegwangwi) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 14th that users of the K-Pass (Everyone Card) public transit fare refund service have surpassed 5 million. It has been 1 year and 11 months since the program was introduced.

The Everyone Card began in May 2024 as a service that refunded a certain portion (20∼53.5%) of public transit spending. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained that, after a flat-rate model was introduced in January this year that refunds in full, without limit, any transport costs exceeding the threshold amount (up to $75 (100,000 KRW)), the number of users increased rapidly.

This year, Everyone Card users received refunds of $16 (21,000 KRW) out of an average monthly public transit cost of $47 (63,000 KRW), amounting to an estimated annual saving of about $563 (750,000 KRW) for a three-person household.

Young people and low-income groups received monthly refunds of $17 (22,000 KRW) and $26 (34,000 KRW), respectively. In particular, about 440,000 people received $31 (41,000 KRW) through the flat-rate plan, significantly reducing their public transit burden.

Daegwangwi held a ceremony at Post Tower in Jung District, Seoul, to mark 5 million users of the Everyone Card. At the event, Daegwangwi signed agreements with seven local governments: Seoul·Incheon·Gyeonggi·Busan·Daegu·Gwangju·Daejeon, to integrate the benefits of senior transportation cards operated by local governments into the Everyone Card.

Minister Kim Yoon-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, “Being chosen by 5 million citizens suggests that this policy to ease transport costs was that necessary,” and added, “We will carefully advance policies such as expanding transport modes to prioritize regional users and improving user convenience, so that the Everyone Card, true to its name, is loved by all citizens and becomes a policy that supports them.”