BTS (Back to Seoul): South Korea VTL Trip Planning

Back in October, I ran a poll asking Milelion readers which VTL destination they most wanted to read about. 

The winner, by a landslide, was South Korea.

Even though my personal preferences lie elsewhere, like Elon Musk I am nothing if not bound to the results of a social media poll. And so begins the least imaginatively-named trip report I’ve ever penned: BTS (Back to Seoul)*.

*Also considered: SQuid Game, Crash Landing on -Gu, Para-siteseeing

Recap: Korea VTL requirements

Flights

✈ BTS (Back to Seoul): Flights
To Seoul	To Singapore
SQ600 18 Nov 2021 (Thu) Depart: 0805 Arrive: 1530	SQ607 21 Nov 2021 (Sun) Depart: 1030 Arrive: 1615

As much as I’d have wanted to be on the first flight to Seoul, I only returned to Singapore from Germany on 3 November. As per the rules, I need to wait at least 14 days before going to Seoul, and since I was uncertain how the days were counted, picked 18 November just to be safe. 

I wasn’t able to find Business Class award space on the outbound leg, but what the heck. It’s a daytime, 6-hour flight. I’ll survive. Besides, I’m sure it’d be useful to review the post-COVID Economy Class experience (Seoul is outside the 3.5 hour radius for the new Economy Class meal concepts, FYI)

What’s more, the aircraft seems rather empty at the back. I’ve given myself a whole lot of social distancing; perhaps I can even find three empty seats for a ghetto Business Class experience. 

On the return leg I’ve bitten the bullet and paid Business Advantage rates, which believe me, I’m not happy about. Advantage awards from Seoul (70,000 miles) cost ~50% more than Savers (47,000 miles). For comparison, Advantage awards from Europe (120,000 miles) are a much more modest 30% premium over Saver (92,000 miles). 

But at least I’ll have a new review to show for it. While I have reviewed Singapore Airlines’ B787-10 Business Class seat before, it was on a short flight to Bali. Flying from Seoul should provide a much better environment for field testing. 

Hotels

For my three nights in Seoul, I’ll be reviewing three hotels across three price points.

SQ600 lands at 3.30 p.m, and according to the Safe2Go timeline (see below), my on-arrival PCR test will only be out by 8 a.m the next day. That means I’m basically stuck in the hotel for the first night, and I’m going budget with the Aloft Seoul Myeongdong (be sure to choose a hotel that offers room service- you’ll need it for dinner on the first night; some hotels let you order food delivery and others won’t).

How budget? I found what I believe to be an incredible room-only rate of 66,000 KRW (~S$76), and I’m paying with Marriott gift cards purchased at a 20% discount during last May’s sale. The nett cost is about S$61 a night– beat that, Hotel 81. 

I’ve been told that Myeongdong is the place to be, and if all goes well I’ll be able to explore the neighbourhood the following morning. 

On the second night it’s time to upgrade to something swankier, in the form of the recently-opened Sofitel Ambassador Seoul. This Songpa property started operations in September 2021, and it’s reasonably close to Gangnam by public transport.

It helps that a friend who’s staying at the same time offered one of his suite upgrade nights, which means I’m paying ~292,500 KRW (~S$335) for a Prestige Suite, complete with breakfast and club lounge privileges (the pour in the lounge is a Baron Rothschild brut champagne, which doesn’t hurt). 

On the final night I’m heading to the Hongdae district to stay at RYSE, an Autograph Collection Hotel under Marriott. 

A room-only rate costs 198,000 KRW (~S$227) per night, and again I’ll be using my Marriott gift cards to lower the nett cost to ~S$182 per night (in my experience, Marriott uses very fair rates when converting gift card balances from USD to the local currency). I can add on breakfast for 22,000 KRW (~S$25) at the front desk, and it’s cheaper than booking a breakfast-inclusive rate since there’s only one of me. 

It’s difficult to pinpoint the type of hotel Ryse is trying to be (which is probably why Marriott lumped it under its catch-all Autograph Collection brand), but “hipster” would probably be a good summary. This 274-room hotel markets itself as a hub for “creative originals”, featuring in-room art installations, Tartine Bakery coffee, and a rooftop whiskey bar. 

Lounges

Even though I’m flying out of Singapore in Economy Class, I’ll be able to access the Business Class section of the temporary SilverKris Lounge thanks to my newly-minted KrisFlyer Elite Gold status.

I’ve already reviewed this facility, so I won’t be writing another report (unless some kind soul can guest me into the First Class section on the morning of the 18th).

Singapore Airlines has a SilverKris Lounge in Seoul, but it’s closed until further notice. In the meantime, eligible customers are directed to the Asiana Business Lounge (which is also accessible through Priority Pass). I visited this facility more than five years ago, and figure it’s time for an updated review. 

Travel Insurance

Travellers from Singapore to South Korea are required to purchase travel insurance with a minimum coverage of 30,000,000 KRW (~S$34,000) for COVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs.

Provider	COVID-19 Medical Expense Coverage
Policy Wording	Basic: S$50K Standard: S$100K Supreme: S$250K
Policy Wording	S$350,000
Policy Wording	Bronze: S$1M Silver: S$1M Platinum: Unlimited
Policy Wording	Lite: S$10K Plus: S$15K Prestige: S$20K
Policy Wording	Essential: S$75K Comprehensive: S$150K
Policy Wording	Classic: S$50K Premier: S$100K Platinum: S$200K
Policy Wording	Basic: S$50K Supreme: S$200K
Policy Wording	Classic: S$25K Elite: S$150K
Policy Wording	S$150K
Policy Wording	Essential: S$100K Superior: S$200K

With the exception of Aviva, all policies will meet this threshold.

So of course, I bought an annual policy with Aviva before the Korea VTL was announced. This meant I had to buy a second policy, and since I’m covered once already, I was looking for the cheapest possible plan that met the requirements.

FYI: You can’t claim reimbursement for the same expense on two different plans, but coverage stacks for events like death and permanent disability. For example, I wouldn’t be able to claim my overseas COVID-19 treatment on Plan A and B, but if I died overseas, my next-of-kin could claim the death benefit from both Plan A and B.

I ended up buying TravellerShield Plus by Chubb, taking advantage of the 60% discount that DBS was running for 11.11 (the discount is now 55%). This cost me just S$24.80 for a four-day trip, which I think is a steal. 

COVID-19 Testing Plan

Here’s the overall testing regime required for the South Korea VTL. 

I bought my pre-departure test via Klook, using a 11.11 coupon to reduce the price to S$119.

The on-arrival PCR test at Incheon will cost 174,000 KRW (~S$200), and must be booked via the Safe2Go portal before departing Singapore. The timetable is somewhat not ideal for people like me on SQ600, since you basically lose the first day waiting for the results. I’m hoping it’s a case of underpromise and overdeliver, but we’ll see. 

Since I’m only in Seoul for four days, I don’t require the Day 6/7 PCR test. For those who do, you can refer to this list of local testing centres. Expect to pay ~S$150-200. 

Singapore recently announced that ART results will be valid valid pre-departure tests for travel to Singapore, so I’ve booked mine at 0800 hours at Incheon, 2.5 hours before my flight departs. ART swabs at Incheon cost 84,000 KRW (~S$96); there may be cheaper options elsewhere in Seoul, which I’ll try to explore if I can. 

And finally, there’s the PCR test on arrival at Changi Airport, the cost of which will be reduced to S$125 from 18 November 2021. 

All in all, I’m looking at a total of four tests (3x PCR and 1x ART ), which will add more than S$500 to travel expenses. That’s annoying, but part and parcel of the travel experience now.

COVID regulations in Seoul

I originally intended to come up with two posts about COVID-19 measures in South Korea:

• one post on the various rules and restrictions (example)
• one post on my firsthand experience with them (example)

However, I’ve struggled to figure out the rules and restrictions from desktop research alone. 

For example, the Korean Ministry of Health’s website provides a Social Distancing Plan which lays out the various restrictions on group sizes, operating hours for restaurants and shops, hotel occupancy and more. However, I can’t match the information here with what I’m reading in the press, which says:

• The 10 p.m curfew on restaurants and cafes has been lifted
• Sports events can host spectators at 50% capacity
• Up to 100 people can attend musicals or concerts
• Gyms no longer have to limit treadmill speeds (yes, they did that, although is it really any more silly than our ban on background music?)
• Private gatherings in Seoul can be up to 10 people

I don’t find these measures under Level 3 or 4 restrictions, so I don’t know whether they’ve abandoned this system altogether or whether there’s some new “band descriptors” I’m unaware of.

In any case, the best way to get answers will be to experience it firsthand, so look out for more details soon.

Odds and ends

A few other logistical matters which didn’t fit into any of the other sections:

• For SIM cards, I paid S$9.90 for an ICC 5 day 5GB package. I cannot definitively say this is the cheapest option, but I’ve had nothing but good experiences with ICC so far
• For transport from the airport, I’ll either take a taxi on the day itself, or look out for the designated bus/train mentioned in the Korean Embassy’s VTL page. There’s no further information about the designated bus/train schedule or cost at the moment
• Be sure to download and register an account on the Self-Check Mobile App before flying. If it asks you for a local contact number, provide the one for the hotel you’re staying at
• Download and print the vaccination certificate from Notarise, since this features a machine-readable QR code. The COOV app is not available for visitors to Korea, but I understand that businesses should be able to scan Singapore certificates to verify vaccination status

Conclusion

Apart from a brief visit for a business trip back in 2016, Seoul is pretty much unchartered territory for me. But it’s always fun to explore, and any country that has a love affair with beef is fine by me. 

Final call for Korea VTL questions/things to investigate while on the ground!