Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cac142]

I recently got a position teaching English in Gwangju, and I was hoping to be able to travel throughout Asia with my time off, long weekends, etc. Can anyone recommend the best/cheapest way to go about it? I am not particular about the places I want to go, but I'd like to travel as much as possible and see places like the Great Wall, Tokyo, Thailand, etc. Any help would be much appreciated

[northway]

Most international flights leave from Incheon (near Seoul), while a minority leave from Busan. Leaving the country on long weekends is generally both time and cost-prohibitive, however, outside of years in which Chuseok or Lunar New Year fall so that you get a five day weekend. Living in Gwangju, this will be doubly true, as you've got a bit of a commute to catch an international flight. I haven't lived down there, buti think most people flying internationally and living in Gwangju end up going up to Incheon. That said, you've got some great domestic options in that area, which are probably a better bet for your long weekends. You might be able to do Thailand, Tokyo, and the Great Wall (Beijing) in the same year, but it will be tough if you're at a hagwon with the standard ten days of vacation per year.

[b-class rambler]

As was said above, the overwhelming majority of international flights to/from Korea are via Incheon. It's only a 50 minute flight from Gwangju to Gimpo and then a 40 minute or less ride from there to Incheon.

So with about half a dozen or so daily flights between Gwangju and Seoul, flying somewhere from Incheon should be as doable for you as it is for lots of other people all over Korea. In fact, there are probably plenty of folk particularly on the eastern side of the Seoul metropolitan area, who'd take nearly as much time to get to Incheon as you would if you flew up to Seoul from Gwangju.

Also, you do in fact have some international options from the Gwangju area. Gwangju Airport is actually planned to close down in the next few years (not sure exactly when) as the new Muan Airport, serving both Mokpo and Gwangju, becomes fully operational. I don't think there are any domestic flights from Muan yet. However, there are flights to both Beijing and Shanghai already running from there, and probably more routes will be opened up from Muan in due course, although I wouldn't expect a very big range of destinations.

[jenilyn8705]

As others have said, it depends on whether you are at a Hagwon, public school or university. If you are at a Hagwon then you're going to be running slim, unfortunately.

Honestly, I've found through searches to look at both Incheon AND Gimpo. I've actually found cheaper airfare to Beijing through Gimpo than Incheon. Busan Air also sometimes has good deals to Tokyo, but you just really have to watch the prices.