Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

Foreign tourists offered free bus trips

http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100601000576

It was rise and shine before 8 a.m. yesterday for Sengway Lim, his wife and two daughters in order to head down to the historically rich city of Gyeongju, about 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The family from Singapore was among the first bus load of foreign visitors to experience the newly launched free shuttle bus service yesterday running from Seoul to two of the country�s historically significant cities -- Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province and Jeonju, the capital of North Jeolla Province.

The free shuttle bus program was organized by the Visit Korea Committee, a body under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, designed to promote travel to Asia�s fourth-largest economy from 2010 and 2012. The government hopes to expand foreign visitors� horizons of Korea and widen their interest to other regions, as most tend to focus on Seoul.
�Since most tourists are focused on Seoul during their visit to our country, we thought offering this free shuttle bus service to other regions would put other parts of our country on the international travel radar, while contributing to promoting regional development,� said Park Sang-sub, manager of the Visit Korea Committee�s public relations team. �Providing this convenient travel service would encourage more foreign travelers to explore other parts of the country, and their experience would help promote these other regions through word of mouth."

The free shuttle buses to Gyeongju and Jeonju are available at 8 a.m. every day except Mondays. The two buses leave from the Gwanghwamun area in downtown Seoul, a major stop also for Seoul City tour buses. Each bus seats only 28 people, so there could be competition for places. The same free bus program to the same two destinations will be made available from Busan, Korea�s second-largest city, starting July 1.

All users must be of non-Korean nationality. Prospective passengers must sign up in advance through the Visit Korea Committee official home page at www.visitkoreayear.com.

Organizers said visitors to Korea could be informed of the free shuttle program through travel agencies, accommodation facilities and relevant online sites.

�We learned about this free shuttle bus service from the manager of the Namu Guest House, which is where we are staying,� Lim told The Korea Herald. �The manager encouraged us to go and see historical places not in Seoul, so we look forward to seeing something different from the city.�

Lim and his family opted for a two-day trip to Gyeongju. They are in Korea for a week-long trip.

To make the travel experience even more memorable and comfortable, passengers will be escorted on a top-quality limousine bus complete with first-class service. These include Internet connection, a DVD system and personal ear phones, and various tourist paraphernalia.

Gyeongju, in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, is celebrated for its rich historical sites going back to the Shilla Kingdom (B.C. 57 to A.D. 935). It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea and is recorded as one of the longest-lasting dynasties in Asian history.

Jeonju, the capital city of North Jeolla Province, is known for its cuisine, particularly teh bibimbap, a dish featuring rice with mixed vegetables and meat. The city also boasts of housing historic architectural sites, ancient relics, and traditional festivals.

Reflecting its serious agenda to promote the country as a global travel hot spot, the Visit Korea Committee has embraced an international workforce.

Saiki Sumika, a Japanese national proficient in Korean, was hired as a full-time employee to manage the Japanese version of the Visit Korea website.

Sumika says she also plays a role in letting the word out about Korea to her compatriots, while helping out tourists from her country.

�I think this free transportation service is a very good idea and will be used by many visitors,� she said.

[Seoulman69]

The visitkorea link provided doesn't work on firefox.

[wylies99]

Try this one-

http://english.visitkoreayear.com/english/benefit/benefit_07_01_01.asp

[Caffeinated]

When will the free shuttle boats to Dokdo start?

[littlelisa]

Thank you, Wylies! Great to know.

[wylies99]

[sojusucks]

Thanks for the info. Has anyone done it?

[Hyeon Een]

I want to do it but my wife would get angry haha

[Drew345]

I took the free bus to JeonJu yesterday (Friday). Now I am down in Mokpo, so I'll go back by KTX.
Anyway, the bus was there and free! Nice bus too, one of the ones with 3 seats across instead of 4. There were only 3 of us on the bus, but it was Friday. They go at 8:00 AM which is just a bit early, but OK. The return time is like 5:00 PM departure and 10:00 PM return which seems oddly late for me. I guess it is designed if poeple want to go and return in a day. Anyway, the same bus from Gangnam Terminal is 17,000 won so this is a nice free bus. If you live north of the river, Gwanghwamun is probably much more convinient that Gangnam.
I think it says onboard wifi, but I didn't see any signal.
Nice service, give it a try!