The trip to South Korea will be thoroughly prepared by us together with the participating groups.

For the flight, the common rules of the airlines are effective. The planes of Korean Airlines and Asiana Airlines are mostly type Boeing 737 and provide enough space and legroom for Westerners. All seats are equipped with video monitors, so that you may watch movies, listen to music or play games provided by the board system. Several meals are served on board and you can choose Korean or Western meal. The Korean staff is very friendly and very accommodating. Upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, we will be picked up by a festival shuttle bus and after five hours trip we will arrive at our accommodation in Gangneung, the Kwandong Universtel which is the dormitory of the Kwandong University. The departure after the end of the festival works the other way round.

The following tips can be found in similar form at the Foreign Office and apply for all travels to South Korea.

Passport/Visa

South Korea is visa-free for many countries and visitors up to 30 days. We will look up the details for each participating group, depending on their home country. A passport at least valid till the end of the stay and a valid return ticket are necessary at any rate.

Vaccination/Health

There are no special health recommendations for South Korea. Usually, no vaccinations are required. We will look up the details for each participating group, depending on their home country. To prevent any problems, we demand a foreign health insurance for the duration of the festival from all participants. There are offers supplemental to the general health insurance at very reasonable prices. The foreign health insurance certificate must be carried. All participants will be asked to tell us about any chronic or acute diseases, so we can take care of it.

Time Shift

Central European Time (CET) plus 8 hours. During the festival, the time difference due to the European daylight saving time is plus 7 hours.

Currency

The Korean currency is the Korean Won (W). It is sensible to do the exchange at the airport immediately after our arrival in South Korea. International credit cards are accepted in larger hotels, restaurants and shops. In small places or stores, one needs to pay cash.

Clothing

Depending on the season you should take the clothes which you would wear in your home country. The clothes for summer should be lightweight, breathable and easy to wash because South Korean summers can be very hot and the humidity is very high. Moreover, one should also carry a light raincoat.

Voltage

In all hotels, villas and apartments as well as in our dormitory there are 220 volts to be found so that an adapter may be necessary.

Phone/Post

The area code for long distance calls to South Korea is 0082. In Korea, there are only few coin phones, which normally are public pay phones. Telephone cards are available in shops. For the participants, calling cards can be organised by the festival director A calling card costs 10,000 Won. A postcard from Korea will cost 160 Won postage and takes about one week.

Mobile Phones

There are roaming agreements with providers in South Korea. GSM mobile phones do not work in South Korea because the GSM standard is not supported. An modern UMTS mobile phone, supporting the G3 standard, should work in South Korea. However, it is important to make sure that the SIM card is capable of UMTS, too. Telephony over these roaming agreements, however, is very expensive. At the airport you can rent a mobile phone, which is also quite expensive. Mobile Phones should not be necessary during the festival since there is an interpreter with the group who also has got a mobile phone.

Costs and Prices

The cost of living is almost as high as in countries like Germany or England. Above all, services are very low priced, while food prices are partly higher than in Germany or England.

Travelsafety

With a stable political situation and a very low crime rate, the Republic of Korea is one of the safest destinations on our planet.

Flights to South Korea

Hardly any Asian country is so well connected with Europe as Korea. Lufthansa and the excellent Korean Air and Asiana Airlines fly non-stop to Seoul. Moreover, there are many more airlines offering flights with stopovers. A non-stop flight from Europe lasts about 10 hours.

Korean Food

Due to its culinary diversity, the Korean cuisine is is a major highlight of any trip to South Korea. It is very spicy and hot, rich in vitamins and low in calories. Essential element is the traditional Kimchi, a Chinese cabbage, extremely rich in vitamins, pickled in red pepper powder and available in over 160 different variants. Other basic foods are all kinds of vegetables, rice, poultry, beef and pork. Koreans usually eat with chopsticks and spoons. Tourists can get a knife and fork, of course.