10+ Reasons to visit South Korea in 2024!

South Korea is not as popular as a tourist destination for Indians compared to Europe, South East Asia or middle east. Below are 10 reasons you should consider visiting South Korea in 2024

#1 Cheap flights

Return ticket to South Korea are available cheaper than Europe. If you can plan well, return ticket from Indian cities to Busan or Seoul are available for 22-25k on budget airlines like Air Asia and VietJet Air. On full service airlines like Singapore Air, it will cost 30-35k INR if booked well in advance. This is cheaper than Europe, Africa and Australia.

#2 Visa is now easy

Earlier we had to visit South Korean Embassy for visa. Now process is streamlined via VFS in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata etc. Thus you will get Visa with standard documents in about 2 weeks or so. [Read more on South Korea visa process] 

#3 Jeju is visa free

If you’re visiting just Jeju island, then no visa is needed. Scoot and many airlines have direct flights to Jeju,

#4 Unique culture

South Korean culture is different from Japanese and Chinese culture. You can experience unique dressing (Hanbok), food and cultural events in South Korea

#5 Hiker’s Paradise

There are several hiking attractions around South Korea. Read about Mount Hallasan * Sunrise trek * Bhukansan national park Seoul * 

#6 Possible to manage using public transportation & hostel

You don’t have to spend a lot on taxi rental and luxury hotel. Budget hostels are available and public transport network is pretty good, so you will be able to explore for much less.

Read my South Korea trip expense report. Managed 10 days in 1.1 lakhs INR all inclusive.

#7 Visit North Korea

It is almost impossible to get a visa for North Korea and visit it properly. But from South Korea, you can reach North Korea border (DMZ or Demilitarized Zone), watch the north Korean side and even put a step inside North Korean land and come back.

#8 Cheap flights to Japan, China

If you’re planning to visit Japan or China, including South Korea in your plan will save you lots of money. From Seoul flights to Japan and China are pretty cheap than flying there directly from India. If you have onward flight to USA etc South korea allows visa free transit. Take advantage of these and plan a multi country tour.

#9 Experience K-Drama

K Drama episodes have made South Korea very popular. Visiting in person will let you live the moment you saw on the show and relate it to real life people and experiences in South Korea

#10 Clean country & nice people

Korea is clean, has good infrastructure and nice people. Compared to tourist crowded Bali, Thailand etc, South Korea will be more peaceful. Despite language differences, locals happily guide you and help you.

Bonus: Food: If you're non vegetarian, you can taste wide range of Korean food. Here is how you can manage as vegetarian in South Korea.