The recent Chuseok holiday ticket booking period (September 7-11) for KTX and SRT, which merged operations on September 1, was marked by severe access issues. Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) reported that it increased its booking servers from 11 to 60 and expanded its communication bandwidth sixfold, conducting over 230 simulation tests. However, the surge in demand for return trips during the short holiday led to a peak waiting list of 750,000 people.
As securing tickets became increasingly difficult, online communities began sharing AI notification tools for canceled tickets. One user created a free web tool that alerts others when a desired train has available seats, which garnered over 370,000 views and sparked a flurry of comments requesting the service link. While some users suspected it might be a macro tool, the creator clarified that it is simply a notification system.
This is not the first instance of such KTX 'private notification bots.' The app store already features several applications like 'Empty Seat' and 'Cancellation Alert,' and similar open-source Telegram bots have been shared within developer communities. Recently, there has been a rise in individuals creating and distributing their own notification bots using AI tools, making these custom solutions more prevalent. However, some services require KORAIL account information under the guise of ticket booking assistance, necessitating caution among users.
Amid the fierce competition for tickets, the issue of illegal macro tools has resurfaced. According to data from the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, KORAIL's macro detection and blocking system had exploitable vulnerabilities. KORAIL announced plans to implement a security patch in October.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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