Korea E-Learning Program C o n t e n t P a r t n e r : 2 South Korea is a vivacious, pristine country in East Asia. It offers a plethora of activities to the tourists of the world. It is one of the Four Asian Economic Dragons with its high-tech industrialization. The landscape varies from modernized world-class cities to lush green natural foliage. Main tourist attractions include different fortress, temples and palaces, natural hot springs, national parks, mountains amusement parks and shopping districts . The South Korea E-Learning course is a combination of Modules and Video Presentation followed by an Assessment Test and Itinerary Challenge. MODULE 1 INTRODUCTION C o n t e n t P a r t n e r : 4 MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION South Korea, surrounded by the ocean on three sides, is a unique geographical location. It is located East Asia Japan to the east and China to the west. Seoul is the capital city. The National Flag of the country symbolizes the active cosmic forces of yang and passive cosmic forces of yin thus emphasizing on the importance of balancing one’s energies. The white colour of the flag depicts the country’s inclination towards Peace and Harmony. The national flower is Mugunghwa or Rose of Sharon which blooms from July to October every year. The pink and purple blossoms transform the entire country into a blooming wonderland providing a heavenly view to the locals and tourists! The flower’s symbolic significance emerges from the South Korean word ‘mugung’, meaning immortality precisely reflecting the enduring nature of South Korean culture, the determination and perseverance of the South Korean people. 5 Some Quick Facts Capital City: Seoul Location: East Asia Official Language: Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese Population: 50 Million approx. Time Zone: 3.5 Hrs ahead of IST Monetary unit: South Korean Won Exchange Rate: US$ 1 = KRW 1,100 (as on Aug 2017) • Driving: On the right (In India driving is on the Left) • Official Tourism Website: www.visitkorea.or.kr 6 1330 International Tourist Helpline in Korea: 1330 KTO runs '1330' service to provide convenience for local and international visitors. '1330' provides not only guidance of sightseeing but also tourism interpretation service for tourist. It is a one stop helpline available for tourists. For any assistance during their stay, your guests can avail this unique service. Overview of Service Customer access time: Serviceable time is 24/7, that is , tourists can call at any time of the day, all days Service details : guidance of sightseeing , tourism interpretation , Complaints Report, BENIKEA Hotel Reservation, connecting with tourist police Service Language : Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese How to use In Korea: Just dial 1330 In another country: +82-2-1330 1) Korean / 2) English / 3) Japanese / 4) Chinese **1330 is a public service that KTO runs, so it is for free. 7 Weather Korea experiences four distinct seasons, namely – SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN and WINTER. All the four seasons offer different landscape and varied experiences to the tourists. SPRING SUMMER AUTUMN WINTER Spring is from March to May when Summer months are from June to Autumn is from September to Winter is from December to February, the weather is warm and skies are August. The sunny days and clear November when the weather is cool January being the coldest month. blue. The flowers are in full bloom blue sky attract many tourists to and crisp. The whole nation is Winter offers an excellent opportunity attracting tourists to the mountains South Korea during these months. painted with vibrant hues of the for Snow Sports. The best place for and countrysides. The temperature The temperature varies from 20-30 falling leaves of Ginkgo and Maple snow sports is the mountainous varies from 10-15 degrees. April is degrees. During this time, the trees. Autumn is the time to go for regions in Gangwon-do. The Winter the best time to experience Cherry weather is very good for Indians to hiking in the mountains to immerse Olympics 2018 will be hosted Blossom in Korea! enjoy! in the mesmerising view of the in Pyeongchang city located just few autumn colours. The temperature hours drive from Seoul city. The varies from 10-15 degrees. temperature usually remains Below 10 degrees. Transport System 8 Korea is well connected by flight from all the major countries in the world. From India, direct flights are there from Mumbai and Delhi. E X D E LHI Asiana Airlines (5 times per week) Sector Flight No. Timing Days of Operation / / /. Delhi – Incheon (Seoul) OZ 768 0220 – 1240 hrs. Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sun Incheon (Seoul) – Delhi OZ 767 2010 –/ 0100/. hrs. + 1 Sun, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat Korean Air (5 times per week) Sector Flight No. Timing Days of operation Delhi – Incheon (Seoul) KE 482 1930 – 0550. hrs. + 1 Sun, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat Incheon (Seoul) – Delhi KE 481 1245 – 1820 hrs. Sun, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat Air India (3 times per week) Sector Flight No. Timing Days of operation Delhi – Incheon (Seoul) AI 310 2305-1230 hrs. + 1 (1hr halt in Hong Tue, Thu, Sat Kong) Incheon (Seoul) – Delhi AI 317 1415-2120 hrs. (1hr halt in Hong Kong) Sun, Wed, Fri 9 EX MUMBAI (ONLY KOREAN AIR) Korean Air (3 times per week) Sector Flight No. Timing Days of Operation Mumbai – Incheon KE 656 0210-1345 hrs. Tue, Thu, Sat (Seoul) Incheon (Seoul) – KE 655 1900-0020 hrs. + 1 Mon, Wed, Fri Mumbai 10 Via flights to Korea (1 stop) are available from all major International airports in VIA India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, etc. FLIGHTS Best via (1 stop) flight connections: Via Hong Kong - Cathay Pacific (Daily flights) - flight duration approx. 2 hrs. Via Singapore - Singapore Airlines (Daily flights) - flight duration approx. 6 hrs. Via Malaysia - Malaysian Airlines or Air Asia (Daily flights)- flight duration approx. 6 hrs. Via Thailand - Thai Airways (Daily flights) - flight duration approx. 5 hrs. Via Shanghai - China Airlines or China Eastern or China Southern (Daily flights) - flight duration approx. 2 hrs. Via Beijing - China Airlines (Daily flights) - flight duration approx. 2 hrs. ** Singapore Airlines / Malaysian Airlines / Thai Airways / etc. fly from all major international airports in India ** Asiana Airlines is code share with Air India and Korean Air is code share with Jet Airways – Hence Air India & Jet Airways can also provide 1 stop flights via Singapore / Malaysia / Thailand / Hong Kong / etc. AIRPORT Incheon International Airport Worlds No. 1 airport since 2005 for 12 years in a row** The Incheon Airport experience includes- Duty Free (one of the largest) | Live performances | Observation Deck Ecological Garden | Ice Forest (Skating Rink) | Movie Theatre | Casino | Golf Club | Free Transit Tours (1-5 hrs long) ** Airport Council Intl. Report 2016 Incheon Airport – The Largest Airport in South Korea Incheon International Airport (also referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is the primary airport serving the Seoul Capital Area, and one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. Since 2005, it has been rated the best airport worldwide by Airports Council International every year. It is also rated as the world's cleanest airport and the world's best international transit airport by Skytrax. The airport has a golf course, spa, private sleeping rooms, an ice skating rink, a casino, indoor gardens, and a Museum of Korean Culture. Its duty-free shopping mall has been rated the world's best for three years in a row in 2013 by Business Traveller. The airport also claims that it has only a 0.0001% baggage mishandling rate. Incheon International Airport is located west of Incheon's city center, on an artificially created piece of land between Yeongjong and Yongyu Islands. The Airport is at a driving distance of 15 mins from Incheon city and approx. 45 mins from Seoul city. The airport holds a record of being ranked the Best Airport Worldwide for 11 consecutive years by the Airports Council International (ACI)'s Airport Service Quality Award from 2005 to 2016, and has also been rated the world's best among airports of its size (25–40 million passengers) and region (Asia-Pacific) since 2012 due to the institution's decision to discontinue the Best Airport Worldwide category. Seoul Incheon International Airport's terminal has 76 boarding gates altogether, with 44 in the main terminal and 30 in Concourse A. 13 Incheon International Airport offers Free Transit Tours (1-5 hrs long). These tours can be opted Free Transit Tours for by the transit tour passenger who has same day connecting flight from third countries to other third countries within 24 hours. The details of the different tours offered are: Tour Name Duration Route Timing 1st.07:00~08:00 2nd.08:00~09:00 3rd.10:00~11:00 Yonggungsa Temple Tour 1 Hr Airport→Yonggungsa Temple→Airport 4rd.11:00~12:00 5th.12:00~13:00 6th.15:00~16:00 1st.09:00~11:00 Airport → Heungryunsa Temple → Incheon Grand Bridge → Incheon Temple Tour 2 Hrs 2nd.13:00~15:00 Memorial Hall for Incheon Landing Operation → Airport 3rd.14:00~16:00 Gwangmyeong Cave Tour 3 Hrs Airport→Gwangmyeong Cave→ Airport 15:00~18:00 Hrs Airport→Songdo Central Park→Ocean Scope→Singi Songdo City Tour 4 Hrs 14:00~18:00 Hrs Market→Airport Seoul City Tour 1 5 Hrs Airport→Gyeongbok palace →Insadong street→Airport 8:00 -13:00 Hrs Seoul City Tour 2 5 Hrs Airport→Bukchon HanokVillage→Gwangjang market→ Airport 09:00~14:00 Hrs Seoul City Tour 3 5 Hrs Airport→ Changdeok Palace → Samcheong dong → Airport 10:00~15:00 Hrs Seoul City Tour 4 5 Hrs Airport→