Transport
Transport
South Korea has a modern and highly developed transport system. Most visitors will arrive in the county at Inch’on International Airport, a stunningly designed facility opened in 2000 that has been built on reclaimed land and an Islad offshore. It’s only drawback is that it is not yet on the subway system, but this will change in the next few years. Taxis and buses provide frequent links to Inch’on city, where the subway system runs, or to the centre of Seoul. There are also international flights from Pusan and some other airports. Seoul’s domestic airport, Kimpo, has subway connections to the city centre.
Trains
All main cities are accessible by rail. Seoul and Pusan are linked by a fast French-designed bullet train, which has reduced the journey time to two hours and forty minutes from the previous four hours. Not only are these trains modern and fast, they are also cheap by European and American standards-the single fare to Pusan is about £20.
It is possible to rent a car with an international driver’s license, but visitors contemplating doing so should remember that the Korean style of driving is somewhat different from that practised elsewhere, and parking may be a difficulty.
The Subway
By far the best way to travel is the subway system, especially in Seoul, where the subways provide comprehensive coverage of the city. Other cities also have subway systems, but none is as highly developed as that of Seoul. The lines stretch well out into the suburbs, and even to outlying cities such as Uijongbu and Inch’on. The stations are well designed, with maps and information in English. They are also often linked to the underground shopping arcades that are such a feature of Korean cities.
Taxis
South Korean cities are well supplied with taxis and they are quite cheap to use.
Buses
All major cities have good bus services, though they, too, suffer from the density of traffic as the buses have designated bus lanes.
