This refund concerns the KRW 1,000 share of a now-abolished fund, not every charge in an international airfare. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the refund service would open at 9:00 a.m. Korea time on October 30, 2026. Its service homepage displays application and application-history buttons and a table of conditions. We viewed the public landing and initial identity-verification choice, but did not authenticate or submit a claim.
The two dates serve different purposes
The ministry's Korean-language release PDF covers Korean and foreign passengers whose flight reservations and ticket issuance were completed before January 1, 2025, and who departed afterward. The International Disease Eradication Fund was abolished on January 1, 2025. The refund is for KRW 1,000 already paid toward that fund as part of an airfare. A departure in 2025 does not make a ticket first issued that year eligible under the stated date test.
| Check | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| Booking and ticket issuance | Completed before January 1, 2025, in the ministry release; check the issued ticket rather than relying on a card payment date |
| Departure | On or after January 1, 2025; the service suggests airline/travel-agency records, an E-ticket or the government's entry/exit certificate to verify the date |
| Age | The service landing says age 2 or older; under-2 passengers are excluded |
These are screening points, not a determination that a particular booking will be refunded. Check the actual issuance and departure records before entering personal data.
The December 31 wording needs care
The ministry release says ticketing before January 1, 2025, while the Korean service landing says “before December 31, 2024”. Those expressions can be read differently for a ticket issued on December 31 itself. We cannot settle that boundary by guessing which phrasing controls a specific case; call the service desk at 1544-7270 with the ticket record if it matters to you.
There is a separate question about later departure dates. The ministry release and public landing give a start date of January 1, 2025, without a stated upper limit. However, the service's currently delivered application-calendar code, inspected on October 30, restricts selectable departure dates to August 31, 2026. This is an observed user-interface limit, not a confirmed legal eligibility cutoff or a verified server decision. If you departed from September 2026 onward, ask the official desk at 1544-7270 how the rules and application route apply; check the live screen again when you apply.
The first application screen offers a PASS identity-verification route for age 14 or over and parent/legal-guardian verification for under-14s. These are authentication routes, not a waiver of the separate age-2 eligibility condition. We did not proceed past that screen, so do not assume that a particular identification method, bank-data request, processing time or application result is established here.
Keep the refund and the application route distinct
The ministry points applicants to mofa.tour-refund.kr for detailed steps. The landing advises checking the exact departure date using airline or agency booking records, an E-ticket or the government's entry/exit certificate. It does not mean that all of those documents must necessarily be uploaded; follow the live application's actual instructions after identity verification.
This KRW 1,000 fund share should not be conflated with a separate reduction or refund relating to Korea's Tourism Promotion and Development Fund departure levy. The ministry release does not specify a claim deadline or how long payment takes, and we have not confirmed an individual's eligibility or completed a claim.
Before applying, make three separate checks: when booking and ticketing were completed; when you actually departed; and the service's age and identity rules. For the December 31 boundary or a case-specific question, use the number on the official service, 1544-7270.
Korean companion on Naver
About the Author
Life Mokcha's editorial team compares public ministry announcements with the visible service landing and distinguishes a screening rule from an approved refund.
