On July 29 (Friday), 2016 the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and Seoul Tourism Marketing Co., Ltd. launched the Discover Seoul Pass, a one day tour pass for foreign tourists that can be used as a transportation card and admission pass to 16 tourist spots including entrance fee, such as ancient palaces in downtown Seoul, hallyu (the Korean wave) experience center, art galleries, and others.

Discover Seoul Pass is a one day tour pass that must be used within 24 hours from the moment of entering the first tourist facility using the pass. In addition, the pass features the T-money function, which allows tourists to charge the card as much as they want, allowing them to use the pass when paying for transportation, at convenience stores, and at other facilities during their stay in Seoul and during future visits to Seoul.

The price of Discover Seoul Pass is 39,900 won, a 70% discounted amount compared to the total entrance fee of 152,000 won that would otherwise be paid when visiting the 16 tourist facilities individually. Pass holders can therefore enjoy a benefit exceeding the pass price even if they visit only part of tourist facilities within the 24 hours. Pass holders also receive a 10% to 20% discount for the City Tour Bus during their trip. The discount rate for the various city tour courses is available at the official tourist information website of Seoul (VisitSeoul.net).

The 16 tourist spots that allow admission using the pass are Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine, Seodaemun Prison History Hall, ‘Leeum’, Samsung Museum of Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art (Seoul), Museum Kimchikan, N Seoul Tower, MBC World, K-Live Dongdaemun, Trick Eye Museum, Grévin Museum, Alive Museum, and Figure Museum W. The tourist facilities for which foreign tourists have shown high preference were selected as the final candidates through analysis of data from TripAdvisor, a global tourism review site.

The SMG included various tourist spots where foreign tourists can experience Seoul’s culture in various forms, such as tourist spots for experiencing hallyu, art galleries, museums, and others, in addition to the major tourist attractions to allow the tourists to choose the travel route according to their personal taste.

The SMG will also launch the Discover Seoul Pass App for smart phone users to provide foreign tourists with information about using the pass and detailed information regarding tourist spots that allow admission using the pass.

The functions of the app include providing information regarding the 16 tourist spots as well as information in the places already visited and that can be visited by the users in the future, and counting down the remaining hours of the 24 hours available for using the pass. The app was launched in five languages (Korean, English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Japanese), and can be downloaded for free from the App Store. The app can be currently downloaded from Google Play, and will be available at the App Store starting from the middle of August.

The pass can be purchased at KEB Hana Bank branch located in Incheon Airport, the starting point for foreign tourists, CU convenience stores, Myeong-dong Tourist Information Center, City Tour Bus ticket office (Gwanghwamun and DDP), and others. Tourists can also make advance purchases online at VisitSeoul.net, and can receive the pass later at the Myeong-dong Tourist Information Center. The tourist information centers frequented by foreign tourists including those in Hongdae, Gwanghwamun, Dongdaemun, Seoul City Hall (Citizen Hall), and others will begin selling the pass in August.