Diary of an Internet Addict

With the loosening of travel restrictions around the world, I have finally gone travelling, and have come back. 14+ (sort of) days in South Korea (Republic of Korea).

There’s a lot to unpack and edit, so I’ll probably be doing so slowly, over this month.

Here are some stats – I’ll add on as I upload my posts.

Country: South Korea
Specific regions: Seoul, Paju, Suwon, Nami Island, Busan, and Sokcho (in no particular order)
Type of travel: Half free & easy, half local tour (Agency: YGC Korea Travel)
Internet/Data (for travellers from Singapore): Singtel readyroam, Starhub prepaid roaming, random(?) Korean unlimited mobile data (it was a company recommended by one of the hotels, but definitely just go for klook or kkday deals because OMG it was really slow.)

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Seoul (Day 1)
Day 2: Paju (Day 2)
Day 3: Busan (Day 3 & 4)
Day 4: Busan/Seoul
Day 5 – 9: Seoul (Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9)
Day 10: Suwon (Day 10)
Day 11: Nami Island / Sokcho (Day 11)
Day 12: Mt Seorak area / Goseong (Day 12)
Day 13: Pocheon
Day 14: Seoul
Day 15: Back to Singapore

Footnote on the itinerary – it had been decided on in view of possible quarantine, but I still want a holiday. Thus, my trip to Korea was a bit longer than usual. The dates were also decided around the BTS Festa.

Hotels / Accomodation

• Seoul
  • Nine Tree Premier Hotel Insadong
  • Solaria Nishitetsu Myeongdong
  • Hamilton Hotel
• Busan
  • Ramada Encore by Wyndham Busan Haeundae
• Sokcho
  • Ramada by Wyndham Gangwon Sokcho

(Yes, I admit I have a soft thing for the Ramada brand)

On South Korean (SK) number
As at the time of the publication of this post, the need for an SK number for contact-tracing has somewhat ceased. Some of the SK restrictions ask for a local number for contact-tracing, to which I gave the my accommodation’s number.

I did the homework for you
To-do list for covid-travelling to SK from Singapore (as at time of publication):

Singapore

To-do	Remarks
Book flight tickets	I just checked in my previous flight to Seoul and realised I had a really unpleasant time with Asiana. I went with SQ this time round.
Book tour	If you intend to explore outside Seoul, local personalised tour is the best way to go. I engaged YGC Korea Travel for 7 days. In Seoul, I went free and easy. Most stations have English, with some in Bahasa Melayu, Indonesia, Chinese (traditional characters) Japanese etc.
Book accomodation	For some odd reason, Agoda offered really good rates for Seoul this time. Best to check the hotel website and Booking.com all the same. If you are intending to stay more than 3 nights, I recommend getting a hotel with/near laundry facilities.
Get K-eta visa	www.k-eta.go.kr
(Travellers from Singapore) Book Singapore ART test	ART has to be done within 24 hours before the flight. If you prefer to be safe, I think PCR is 48 hours before flight. https://www.moh.gov.sg/licensing-and-regulation/regulations-guidelines-and-circulars/details/list-of-covid-19-swab-providers
Register qcode	https://cov19ent.kdca.go.kr/cpassportal/biz/beffatstmnt/main.do?lang=en
Book Incheon Arrival PCR test	https://safe2gopass.com/index
Get Roam-ready number	My favourite has always been Starhub prepaid sim card’s Happy Roam because of the large number of countries that it cover.
Get insurance	From 1 May 2022, insurance with covid coverage is no longer compulsory
(Travellers from Singapore) Get notarised vaccination card	https://www.notarise.gov.sg/
(Travellers from Singapore) Register trip with MFA	https://eregister.mfa.gov.sg/eregisterportal/common/preLoginEregisterView.action
Enable credit card for overseas	To pay for the arrival PCR test. They didn’t seem to accept cash.

Seoul

(Travellers going to Singapore) Fill in arrival card 3 days before departure

https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/

Resources:

1	https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/arriving/general-travel/fully-vaccinated	(Travellers from Singapore)
2	https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/sg-en/brd/m_2435/view.do?seq=761390&page=1	(Travellers from Singapore)
3	https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/Seoul/Announcements/Vaccinated-Travel-Lane-between-Singapore-and-the-ROK	(Travellers from Singapore)
4	https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto
5	https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2022/04/covid19-travel-restrictions/index.html?st_client=in-app-webview	(Travellers from Singapore)
6	https://english1.visitkorea.or.kr/common_intl/gis_od.kto?mode=MapSearch&lang=1	map search for travelling in korea
7	https://milelion.com/2021/11/19/south-korea-vtl-arrivals-process-at-seoul-incheon-my-experience/	(Travellers from Singapore) Reading on the landing process (not updated)
8	https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/covid-19/?lang=EN&segment=SIN-ICN	(Travellers from Singapore taking Singapore Airlines)
9	http://www.seoulmetro.co.kr/en/cyberStation.do?menuIdx=337&spm=BlogArticle.InArticleHyperlinkWord&clickId=9c3fc0d0d3	Seoul metro map (searchable)
10	https://www.creatrip.com/en/blog/5523	currency exchange
11	https://www.klook.com/en-SG/blog/south-korea-singapore-vtl-travel-tips/	(Travellers from Singapore) Travel to South Korea guide

Moving Around

• T money card is a good investment. You can purchase it at convenience stores available at almost any corner of Seoul. You can top up at any subway stations. They seem to take only cash – I didn’t figure out if they take credit/debit card like Singapore’s ez-link facilities.
• Some apps I frequently use:
  • Naver Map
  • Kakao Map (I favour this over Naver Map since I can usually type in English and the app would figure out what I’m trying to find)
  • (any) Subway map to check out time / price / direction
  • Papago and/or Google Translate – OMG lifesavers because I don’t speak Korean, even if the translations are half-past six

Food delivery

For days you are lazy – there’s Shuttle app for food delivery. It’s in English and accepts card payment!