Travelers from all over the world have been lured to South Korea more and more in recent years. With more than 17 million visitors in 2019, the nation is a must-see location in Asia. After reading this South Korea Islands travel guide, you’ll comprehend why so many people choose to visit Korea, often known as the Land of the Morning Calm.
With some of the world’s top fashion and cosmetics stores, Korea is not only a beautiful country but also a place that will make you beautiful. Korea is a fashion and beauty shopper’s dream and is known for its K-Beauty items.
You can discover something you can’t resist at a fantastic price anywhere, from the street styles of Hongdae to the opulent fashion malls of Gangnam and the wall-to-wall malls selling discount clothing in Dongdaemun. There are traditional markets all around Korea where you can browse for unique souvenirs, sample street cuisine, and observe how residents interact with one another.
South Korea Islands Map
Travel Restrictions To Visit South Korea Islands 2023
From September 30th, 2022, travelers won’t be required to submit to a pre-departure or on-arrival PCR/RAT test, self-quarantine, or provide proof of vaccination status. Your ability to go to South Korea Islands is not in any way impacted by your vaccination status.
You could be requested to do a PCR test if you arrive with symptoms of illness (high temperature, fever). PCR tests are now free for passengers suspected of being COVID-19 positive within the first three days of arrival.
Travel Requirements For South Korea Islands
Here is a short, three-step tutorial on how to get to Korea right now. Travelers from the US should be aware of this. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had a vaccination, as was already indicated. This method must be followed by all tourists. It may be necessary to follow a separate procedure for visitors going to Korea to visit relatives, study, or work.
Book Flights & Hotels
Before you can travel to South Korea Islands, you must apply for a K-ETA (Korea Travel Authorization). However, you must reserve a return ticket to Korea and at least the first hotel for your stay there before you may apply for the K-ETA to go to South Korea.
Skyscanner and Expedia are suggested by Best of Korea for the most affordable flights to South Korea. You can shop for the greatest deals and practical flights, then book them.
We also suggest using Klook and Agoda to find the best hotels in Seoul. They cover the majority of accommodations in Seoul and the rest of Korea and provide fantastic rates free of additional costs.
Register for the K-ETA
You should apply for the Korean Electronic Travel Authorization once you have booked your flights and at least one accommodation (K-ETA). This is the equivalent of the ESTA that visitors to the US must complete in Korean.
Once your trip information has been verified on the K-ETA website, you may stop thinking about it until you depart. It’s advisable to take this action as soon as you know where you’re going.
The K-ETA costs 10,000 KRW, or around $10. Avoid making a reservation through an unauthorized website because they may charge you more and/or incompletely process your application.
Check the image dimensions and size if your K-ETA application is not accepted; this is the most frequent reason for application rejection.
Travel To South Korea Islands
You are prepared to fly to Korea as long as you have your K-ETA. Use the app and show that instead of printing a copy of the K-ETA to provide when you check in.
You will be required to fill out a self-check health questionnaire before traveling to Korea to prove that you are healthy. On the Q-Code website, you can either finish this when you arrive or before you leave.
Before taking off, there is no testing required, however, it is a good idea to perform a self-test to ensure your safety. If you are infected in Korea, you must practice self-quarantine for 7 days.
Pre-Travel Checklist
Before you travel to South Korea Islands, get a sim card or portable WiFi router to pick up at the airport so you can connect as soon as you arrive. Before you go, change a modest amount of money, but not a lot.
In the heart of Seoul, in Myeongdong, you can quickly swap USD for KRW or get cash from an ATM. Use a pre-paid travel card instead, such as the one from Wise, which is fully functional in Korea and supports ATM withdrawals and payments.
Don’t forget to pack a travel adapter for your devices, and make sure you have plenty of room in your suitcase for all the Korean trinkets and souvenirs you’ll want to bring home.
COVID-19 regulations Korean DMZ
Face masks are required in public transit, healthcare facilities, and retail establishments. Outside, however, you are not at all need to wear a face mask. Follow the current regulations when visiting Korea to avoid fines or deportation.
If COVID-19 infection is confirmed, you should stay in your hotel room by yourself for seven days or until a negative PCR test is returned.
Best Destinations In South Korea You Should Visit
South Korea is a country of stark contrasts. There are a variety of interesting sites to visit, from the vibrant, contemporary city of Seoul with its cutting-edge designer buildings, virtual reality labs, and AI robots to the serene UNESCO World Heritage cities of Jeonju and Gyeongju.
Finding the greatest places to go in Korea can be difficult, especially if you don’t know what to expect. Some of these places may be unknown to you, which is understandable. There are untold wonders in Korea that are just waiting to be uncovered.
Coming home from a trip and learning about amazing locations you missed but wished you’d seen is the worst. Examples include the stunning Buddhist temple Haedong Yonggungsa Temple on the ocean and a lush island hideaway where deer and rabbits freely roam.
The stunning East Asian nation of South Korea is located at the southern tip of the enormous Korean Peninsula. It is regarded as a tech haven and has one of the largest economies in the world. It is also renowned for its breathtaking vistas and alluring islets.
The nation is home to amazing palaces, shrines, and fascinating Hanok villages in addition to magnificent natural parks. Its capital city, Seoul, is a highly urbanized metropolis where practically all of life’s comforts may be found. Busan is renowned throughout the globe as one of the most popular destinations for plastic surgery.
Here are some of the top islands of South Korea that you have to go to, along with some attractions you should see while you’re there.
7 Best South Korea Islands
Jeju Island
Jeju Island, one of the South Korea Islands is a well-liked holiday spot for both locals and tourists. It is a semi-tropical island.
For those who prefer a challenge, this region of remarkable natural beauty provides challenging coastal hikes, sandy beaches, green hills, and a volcano to climb. Jeju Island appeals to those who appreciate culture and coffee shops.
There are so many fascinating activities, sights, tastes, and sensations waiting for you on Jeju Island, such as snorkeling beneath the sea, trekking above the clouds, eating black pig BBQ, and drinking native green tea.
On Jeju’s East Coast, this Full Day Tour of the Island will take you to some of the most amazing UNESCO World Heritage sites, while this Tour of the Island will let you decide where to travel.
Heuksando
Heuksando, or “black mountain island,” is where antiquity’s classical academics (sun) were exiled when they displeased the higher-ups. (Like the 17th-century academic Jeong Yak-Jeong, who spent his exile here penning a significant work on fish).
However, it couldn’t have been that horrible because Heuksando and its inhabitants allegedly enchanted these professors on time out to the point that they were reluctant to depart.
Perhaps it was the local specialty known as fermented skate ray, which is thought to go well with a sip of makgeolli. It is available for tasting at any of the bars that line the rather large harbor of Yerihang in Heuksando.
Baeknyeong
The farthest north you may get in South Korea by island hopping is Baeknyeong Island, which is located just two kilometers below the 38th parallel. However, the location is more than just a key military location.
There are many attractions to choose from, even though some of them (like gigantic strews of prehistoric shells) aren’t as appealing as others (like spotted seals playing in protected areas).
Like Sagot Beach, which is one of only two naturally occurring airstrips in the world (the other is in Naples, Italy), where the hardness of the sand also makes the beach a superb natural airstrip. Sagot Beach functioned as a temporary runway for United Nations aircraft during the Korean War.
Hyojado
Excellent fishing, immaculate beaches, and a relatively undiscovered location—Hyojado is a little island (a full tour can be completed in two hours), with just enough locals to feel at home.
The name, which derives from the Korean term for “dutiful son or child,” hyoja, is thought to be an allusion to the island’s moral offspring.
The island lives up to its moniker by dedicating a stone monument to one of its citizens and recounting the history of a certain Mr. Choi who allegedly hacked off flesh from his thigh to feed his folks who were starving. So perhaps we don’t exactly think of the narrative as cozy. However, fishing is still excellent.
Dokdo
Dokdo, also known as Takeshima in Japan is well known for playing a crucial part in a 15th-century property dispute between Japan and South Korea.
Dokdo is made up of several islands, the two biggest of which are East Island (Dongdo) and West Island (Seodo), as well as 89 much smaller islands that are dispersed throughout. Despite its notoriously politicized character, it is also crucial ecologically.
Visits to Dokdo are still restricted due to its delicate habitat; tourists must apply and make reservations through a travel operator.
Somaemuldo
One of Hallyeo Hasesang (Maritime) National Park’s top attractions, Somaemuldo, actually owes a lot of its fame to a smaller island off its shore. Despite this, the “Deungdaeseom” or “Lighthouse Island” is still regarded as a component of Somaemuldo, similar to how even if you eat a cookie crumb, you’re still sort of eating the cookie.
Speaking of cookies, Somaemuldo’s Lighthouse Island is renowned for appearing in a commercial for the Korean biscuit snack “Couque D’asse.”
Anmyeondo
This 113-square-kilometer weekend getaway location, which is the sixth-largest island in South Korea, is well-known for its fishing (which, for those who don’t like this sport, translates to fresh, excellent seafood), its beautiful pine forests, and its beaches.
This finger-shaped island was formerly a peninsula that was joined to the continent by a narrow strip of land. However, this narrow strip was flooded during the Joseon Dynasty to make it simpler for ships to pass through. A bridge was constructed in 1970 to link the island of Anmyeondo to the mainland.
Conclusion
South Korea is much more than just what you see in the cities. South Korea, a 70% mountainous nation with coastlines on three sides, has a lot to offer outdoor enthusiasts.
The national sport of South Korea is a hiking, which is a popular method to see more of the country while gazing down over rice fields, forested valleys, and isolated areas of urbanization.
Numerous activities are available and very reasonably priced, including skydiving, parachuting, scuba diving, water sports, cycling, rock climbing, white river rafting, and many others. The great outdoors is wonderful, if you are in one of these South Korea Islands.