Korea FAQ - Getting There

I have been getting a lot of questions about Korea, especially after AirAsia X's started flight to Incheon. I will be starting an FAQ from a Malaysian perspective since there are a lot of misconception or "distorted" information from hearsay and incorrect portrayal from various media. I will divide the FAQ by categories and if you have any more question, feel free to drop me a comment or two.

1. What are the options for me to fly into Korea from Malaysia?
If you are looking for non-stop regular scheduled flight out of Malaysia to Korea, you can either fly from KLIA (KUL) or Kota Kinabalu (BKI). All these flights are bound for Incheon International Airport (ICN). Without including code share flight and chartered flight, from KUL, you can choose either Malaysia Airlines (MH) and Korean Air (KE) from main terminal or AirAsia X (D7) from LCCT. From BKI, you can choose between Malaysia Airlines (MH) or Asiana Airlines (OZ). You need to shop around for the lowest fare since low cost carrier might not be the cheapest option. You might also get better deal with transit flights via Bangkok, Hong Kong, Japan or any other connecting points. Make sure you have added all the surcharges and fees and factor in the transit waiting time for a better comparison.


2. Incheon? But I want to go to Seoul and not Incheon.
This is one of the common misconception especially for those not familiar with Korea. It is not especially helpful when airlines and advertisements list the destination as Seoul-Incheon or just Seoul for that matter. You might hear flight attendant announcing over the PA system, "Welcome to Incheon International Airport, Seoul." Incheon International Airport is not located in Seoul but on an island in Incheon, a city west of Seoul. If you were to measure by displacement, it is around 48km from downtown Seoul as shown in the following map :

KLIA is not located in Kuala Lumpur but in Sepang, Suvarnabhumi Airport is not in Bangkok but in Samut Prakan. Incheon International Airport is the primary gateway for Korea and most international flights will be flying to ICN. You might notice another airport indicated in the map shown above closer to downtown Seoul. Gimpo International Airport (GMP) is located in Seoul, the predecessor of ICN, but now serves domestic flights and international flights from neighbouring countries of China and Japan. A better analogy would be Tokyo-Narita and Tokyo-Haneda with Narita Airport not located in Tokyo but in Chiba. Please make sure you have the correct airport information especially for those intended to transit onward to domestic destinations like Jeju or Busan.


3. Is Incheon the only option? But I want to go to Jeju or Busan.
At this moment, for regular non-stop scheduled flight from Malaysia, Incheon is the only option. There are chartered flight now and then to other destination in Korea and Malaysia, especial during peak travel period. There used to be flights from KUL to PUS but not anymore. AirAsia X has been given approval to fly into Busan, but no news on when they will start this route. If you wish to arrive in any other airport other than ICN, you would need to take a transit flight either via regional airports (BKK, HKG ...) or via domestic transit at GMP. Make sure you have factored in the transit time involves between flights before you book.


4. I am from Johor, I think Changi has more options for me.
It might be easier to travel from Changi, but all flights from Changi by Singapore Airlines (SQ), Korean Air (KE) and Asiana Airlines (OZ) arrives at Incheon International Airport (ICN) as well. There are more choices in terms of flight time, but if you are looking to land in another destination other than ICN, you need to transit either via regional airports or domestic airports in Korea.


5. I am from Penang, I don't want to waste time travelling to the south first.
Those wishing to fly from Bayan Lepas (PEN) can have a dilemma to choose between price and convenience. If you do not wish to have a domestic transit, regional transit is another option. It is common to connect via BKK or HKG, but there are other connecting points, if these two are not your liking. Please note that fees and surcharges can be different if you are opting to transit via an international point rather than a domestic point. Also, please check whether the transit point requires you to transit between terminal or airport and does it require you to unload your luggage and recheck in.


6. I have bought a ticket from AirAsia X from KUL to ICN. Is there anything that I should be aware of?
Ever since AirAsia X started flying KUL-ICN route, I have been hearing more and more people travelling to Korea. I have found that there are a couple of things the are not aware of before they have taken this flight. Firstly, the airport location of ICN as mentioned above in Q2. Secondly, the timing of this flight. Flight D7 2682 arrives at ICN on 9:15pm (GMT+9). Incheon International Airport is a huge airport. By the time you have cleared immigration and taken your luggage, you would probably out at the arrival hall around 10:00pm to 10:30pm (GMT+9) depending on various factors that can delay the whole process of getting from the gate to the arrival hall. Compounded by the location of the airport from downtown Seoul, if you did not make arrangement for lodging and transportation, you might be caught in a surprise and helpless in the middle of the night trying to figure it out there and then. Transport by trains and buses might be closing by then and domestic transit might not be possible until probably the next morning. Also, the returning flight timing from ICN to KUL. By the time you check in and cleared passport control, most duty free shops would be closed or preparing to close. Tax refund counter would also be closed by then making it not possible to claim your refund on the spot. After arriving in LCCT, it will be in the early morning before sunrise, so make sure you have understood the logistics involved as well.


7. Are you sure I don't need a visa? Both neighbouring countries of China and Japan require a visa.
Travellers with Malaysian passport are allowed up to 90 days in Korea under visa exemption agreement for tourism and temporary visit (e.g. attend conference, exhibition, meeting). For latest information, you can visit Korea Tourism Organisation, Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Malaysia Ministry of Foreign Affairs websites. If you are in doubt and have any question on visa requirements on other visa purposes such as internship, student visa, business visa, etc., please contact the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. For location of the embassy, you can refer to the map below.

View Larger Map