One of the wonderfully funky buildings that line the beachfront on Incheon’s Wolmi Island.
How about we escape the sub-zero temperatures of Seoul for a reminder of a warmer time several months back? This time around we hop on Seoul Metro and go west to the port city of Incheon: the city that’s striving to be the gateway to Northeast Asia.
As one of the world’s largest cities, it can’t be easy being in Seoul’s shadow. But Korea’s port city of Incheon, just 36 kilometers west of Seoul, is making a name for itself with an ambitious plan to become a regional business and logistics hub.
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A vendor at Seoul’s Noryangjin Fish Market (노량진 수산시장) (from Gourmet Magazine).
Seoul Fish Market in Gourmet Magazine
Seoul’s Noryangjin Fish Market (노량진 수산시장) receives rave reviews in October’s edition of Gourmet Magazine. Described as “one of the greatest food spectacles on earth”, writer Jonathan Gold praises the 700 stalls of stingrays, halibut and pickled clams. If you’d like to visit the fish market yourself, arrive early in the morning via Seoul subway line 1′s Norangjin Station.
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Jin Air, a subsidiary of Korean Air, is one of Korea’s most promising new budget airlines.
Back in September of 2006, i booked a $19 (+tax) roundtrip ticket on Malaysia’s Air Asia. The prospect of being airborne for so little was intriguing. Sure, i was flying from Kuala Lumpur to the unlikely destination of Kota Bharu, but c’mon, $19? At the time, I was struck by how inexpensively one can fly in Southeast Asia… especially when originating out of KL or Bangkok. This just isn’t the case in pricey northeast Asia, where 2-hour trips between Seoul and Tokyo still can run $500+ this time of year.
But 2008 promises to fill Korea’s skies with a glut of new budget carriers. A total of 5 new airlines are launching this year, in addition to the two already in operation. Last month, the Busan-based Yeongnam Air launched its inaugural flight between Seoul’s Gimpo International (mostly domestic) and the lovely Jeju Island. By the end of the year, Yeongnam plans to service four domestic routes that concentrate on Korea’s southeastern region. In fact, bonafide Yeongnam region residents receive a 5-10% discount… which is kinda weird.
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