Every useful answer needs a date, an assumption and a limit.
Our method is designed so a visitor can challenge the result. We separate a verified fact from our planning model, label commercial links and keep unfinished pages out of search until their editorial job is distinct.
1. Source order
We start with Korean national or local government, Korea Tourism Organization, airports, transport operators and the product’s own official documentation. Korean-language originals are used when they contain details that the English web does not surface clearly. An English travel article or community discussion may reveal a question, but it does not establish a fare, coverage rule or eligibility claim.
2. Evidence record
Every source in the register has a name, URL and verification date. A guide lists only the sources used for that decision. We do not use a single site-wide “updated” label to imply that every live timetable or price was checked that day. A known future effective date is called out separately from the rule in force now.
3. From source to decision
We extract only the facts that change the choice: price, physical-card cost, service range, exclusions, start rule, accepted payment or operator constraint. Then we compare complete setups. For example, a pass comparison adds the physical card and uncovered rides instead of comparing a pass headline with only part of the pay-as-you-go journey.
4. Fare and transfer model
“Paid journey group” means a base-fare event after eligible transfers, not every vehicle tap. Distance bands approximate the published additional-distance rule. Because a future itinerary cannot prove every eligible transfer, the user chooses recognisable inputs and the result remains an estimate. Excluded rides remain pay as you go.
5. Pass optimisation
The Climate Card calculator checks combinations of the current 1-, 2-, 3-, 5- and 7-day visitor passes and selects the lowest published pass price that covers the entered calendar days. It then adds card purchase and uncovered travel. The KORAIL calculator compares the current official visitor pass with the exact live point-to-point basket entered by the visitor; it does not hard-code an allegedly timeless KTX fare.
6. Currency display
Korean won is the decision currency. Pound equivalents are orientation only, calculated with the dated Bank of England reference shown at the top of every public page. They are not a retail exchange quote and do not include a bank, ATM or card issuer’s fee.
7. Publication threshold
A search landing page needs a narrow query, a direct answer, at least three decision sections, dated sources and a connected tool. Pages with an overlapping job or insufficient original analysis are marked noindex, removed from the sitemap and excluded from public topic grids until a deeper editorial pass is complete. This is a quality control, not a hidden content-volume tactic.
8. Updates and corrections
Priority sources are reviewed monthly and before known effective dates. A source change triggers human review of the affected facts and calculations; it never republishes automatically. We can be wrong, and an operator can change a rule between reviews. Send the page URL, exact statement, official source and effective date through the corrections route.
Last method revision: 1 September 2026, following a site-wide low-value-content review. The review reduced the search inventory and added visible editorial receipts and worked decision evidence to the strongest landing pages.