The third season of the pandemic is about to get underway, so it’s time for an update.
You can still visit Korea as a tourist, but depending on your nationality you’ll probably have to do a 14-day hotel quarantine at your own expense. I actually did this in summer 2020 and it wasn’t too bad, but it’s expensive. You can read my account here
Most international visitors stay in Korea for less than 14 days though, and obviously there’s no point doing quarantine unless you’re staying for at least a month.
Visitors arriving from Singapore can take advantage of the recently established quarantine-free arrangements between Singapore and Korea, meaning you can skip quarantine if you’re fully vaccinated and test negative. This isn’t only for Singaporeans – other nationalities can also do this provided they’ve spent at least 14 days in Singapore before arriving in Korea. I don’t know the exact details so look it up on official sources if you want to do this.
As for opening dates, looks like the resorts in Gangwon-do are all opening on December 3rd, while the Seoul area hills haven’t announced their dates yet but I’d guess they’ll probably be a week or so later.
The exception to this is Yangji Pine Resort, which is staying closed this season. To be honest this isn’t surprising, they already appeared to be struggling before the pandemic hit and seemed to be quite reliant on buses of package tourists from China and SE Asia. The package tours have dried up of course, and I do wonder if Yangji will manage to open again in future. They have strong local competition and are certainly not the first Korean ski resort to hit the skids.
Also note that the pandemic may have affected availability of bus transfers and hotel rooms (especially for smaller resorts) and opening hours may be reduced.
If you have any questions leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.
Hi,
Do you know where I can book ski bus ticket from Seoul to Yongpyong ski resort?
Thanks
Hi Shumin,
You can book a day package here, or if you want the bus ticket only that’s here
If you don’t have your own equipment it works out better to get the package.
Let me know if you have any more questions
Hi Simon, do you have any idea of the rough opening dates for high1 or yongpyong during 2022? Planning a trip to go there late November/early December
Hi George, sorry for the slow reply. It’s too early to say, but they always open as soon as they can and do normally open by late November. Don’t expect too much though – probably just a few runs open.