Please read all of the information below for important details relating to your upcoming program in South Korea. But first make sure you’ve read all of Step 6: Get Going, including the information on Insurance, Packing, Safety, Communication and Finances while Abroad.
South Korea Arrival Info
Arrival in South Korea
Arrival at Incheon International Airport
Step 1: Once you arrive at ICN on your international flight, you will need to pass through passport control, collect your baggage, and clear customs before exiting the baggage area into the Arrivals Hall. ICN is a huge airport, but it is also consistently ranked as the best airport in the world. This means that arrival process is pretty straightforward – just follow the flow of traffic through to the Arrivals Hall. Depending on your flight, you will arrive in either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. Please note the directions below on where the Starbucks is that you will be meeting the group at!
Terminal One
You will pass from customs into the Arrivals Hall through one of 6 gates (labeled A-F). The group transfer will meet at the Starbucks near Gate C. If you exit from a gate other than C, no worries – just make your way to the Starbucks to meet the group! If you do not immediately see a TEAN staff member, don’t worry – your orientation leader may not arrive at the airport until shortly before the transfer time. If it is close to the transfer time, do not leave the immediate area and stay in the vicinity of Starbucks.
Terminal Two
This is the brand new terminal! So when you enter the Arrivals Hall you will want to stay on the same level and want all the way down to Exit A. So whatever door you walk out of, just turn left and keep on walking until you arrive at Starbucks! If you do not immediately see a TEAN staff member, don’t worry – your orientation leader may not arrive at the airport until shortly before the transfer time. If it is close to the transfer time, do not leave the immediate area and stay in the vicinity of Starbucks.
Step 2: Do not panic if a program representative is not immediately present as some flights arrive early and/or students are delayed in Customs. The program representative may not be present, if this is the case, stay in the immediate vicinity of the Starbucks until you see a representative – he will be holding a sign with The Education Abroad Network’s logo. Please continue to wait in the Arrivals Hall until your scheduled transfer. In the event that you arrive well before the scheduled transfer, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are at Starbucks at the appropriate time. If after your scheduled transfer time you are unable to locate The Education Abroad Network representative, please proceed per the instructions below.
Step 3: If you do not see a program representative 30 minutes after your scheduled transfer time (not arrival) please call TEAN’s Seoul Resident Staff:
Sandra: 010-3667-6453
You may need local currency or you can log on to the airport wifi and call through Skype or What’s App.
Step 4: If the above call is not successful please wait 30 minutes then repeat. You can also call our U.S. office at 0011.1.312.239.3710 if during U.S. business hours, or the Emergency Line at 0011.1.574.239.6545 if after U.S. business hours. Again, you may need local currency.
Step 5: If you cannot reach our U.S. office, please wait 15 minutes and repeat Step 3 again.
Step 6: After 1 hour of waiting, please make your way to the Orientation Hotel. The hotel can be reached by taxi (though this is an expensive option and we don’t recommend it) or by “airport limousine” bus service (see below). Upon arrival at the hotel, please call your Orientation Leaders and U.S. offices one last time and leave a message with your location and then check into your accommodation. See below for hotel information.
TEAN Orientation Staff
Sandra Durinick (Seoul Resident Director): 011.82.10.3667.6453
Orientation Hotel Details
Somerset Palace Seoul
7 Yulgok-ro 2-gil
Jongno-Gu, Seoul, South Korea
p: 02-6730-8888
How to take the bus from the airport to the hotel if you miss the group transfer:
The Somerset Palace Seoul can be reached from Incheon International Airport via bus number 6011.
From Terminal One
To get to bus, you can go to the Airport Bus desk by the exit in the Arrivals Hall between doors 4-5. You can buy a bus ticket at the counter and let them know you want to go to Anguok Station bus 6011. You can also give them the address to the hotel and they will point you to bus 6011. You can buy your ticket for around 10,000KRW (about $10) with a credit card and they will let you know where to wait for the bus. When you have your ticket go out exit 5 and turn right – you should see people lined up and line up for the 6011 bus. The bus runs every 30 minutes, and an employee will collect your ticket before you board and you can put one bag below the bus. The ride to the hotel will take upwards of 90 minutes and Anguok Station is the 6th stop. Be sure to inform the driver of your end destination. When you are dropped off – walk so you are going against traffic on the same side of the road you were dropped off at and look up! You should see Somerset in big letters. It is about a five min walk. Stay in the main road and take a left down the alley where you can see Somerset.
From Terminal Two
To get to bus, you will want to follow the signs for the Buses. You will be directed to go down stairs and depending on where you get in it could be a bit of a walk. If you are confused always just ask someone at the information desk where you can purchase tickets for the airport limo bus. When you reach the area downstairs where you can buy a ticket, you can use one of the automated kiosk (there are staff around to help if you are confused). You can buy a bus ticket to Anguok Station which is for bus 6011. You will be able to pay for a ticket with your credit card for around 10,000-15,000KRW (about $10-$15). Your ticket will have the platform that you need to go to which is right through where you purchased your tickets. The bus runs every 30 minutes, and an employee will collect your ticket before you board and you can put one bag below the bus. The ride to the hotel will take upwards of 90 minutes and Anguok Station is usually the 7th stop. Be sure to inform the driver of your end destination. When you are dropped off – walk so you are going against traffic on the same side of the road you were dropped off at and look up! You should see Somerset in big letters. It is about a five min walk. Stay in the main road and take a left down the alley where you can see Somerset.
TEAN Orientation
Orientation Itinerary
Over the next several days you will participate in many orientation activities hosted by both TEAN and Korea University. The TEAN Orientation is designed to provide a landing into Seoul, but you will soon discover that Seoul is a city full of hills! Don’t worry, walking up some hills will help with your jet lag (or we can tell ourselves that)!
DAY ONE
Those who are on the group transfer from the airport will be taken to the orientation hotel and we will grab a quick dinner after checking into the hotel and getting settled.
DAY TWO
Today we will start the day with breakfast at the hotel and then an orientation session that will cover: cultural do’s and don’ts, the Korean academic system, your personal safety, and how you can make sure you are choosing earth and going green for the semester!
Following the orientation session we will walk to Bukchon Village and rent traditional hanboks. You will be able to wear these around the village or take photos at the photo studio. After some free time spent walking around the traditional Korean village and exploring the local cafes and shops, we will have a Korean BBQ dinner in one of Seoul’s trendy neighborhoods.
DAY THREE
We will have an early departure today while we go and tour the DeMilitarized Zone just north of Seoul. You will be taken with a guide to see Freedom Bridge, The 3rd infiltration Tunnel – DMZ Theater, Dora observatory (pending availability), Doransan Station and an Amethyst factory.
After the tour ends we will get an early dinner at a restaurant that serves traditional North Korean dishes.
DAY FOUR
We have a fun day and relaxing day planned for you. You will attend a Taekwondo class, so you can start to understand this popular national sport! You will have some free time to explore some of Seoul’s more popular neighborhoods on your own. For example, Myeong-dong is sure to provide great people-watching and even has a cat cafe that you can visit if you wish to during your free time or you can stay around Insadong and grab a coffee in one of the many second floor cafes overlooking the main street. After you have had some time to explore, we will meet up for a show with some Taekwondo highlights.
DAY FIVE
After breakfast we will transfer as a group to KU and check into your accommodation. Then we will be going as a group to EMart (Korea’s Target equivalent) to purchase anything you may need (think hangers, trash bags, toilet paper, etc.). After we drop off your shopping bags, we will grab lunch together as a group.
You will have a free day after TEAN Orientation to settle in before you start your KU Orientation!
TEAN Contact Information
TEAN Contact Information
Below are suggested notes on how to communicate with TEAN staff members during your program. These notes are also applicable to parents and guardians. We will also recommend that you print out the Contact sheet attached to the TEAN Arrival email you just received. It contains the phone number for our TEAN Seoul Staff member, U.S. consulates in Korea, emergency numbers in South Korea and dialing instructions to/from Korea.
Important Contact Notes for Emergencies
- Never use email in emergency/urgent situations, please call
- Flight changes and/or delays are considered “urgent” if our staff is scheduled to meet you at the airport
- For particularly time sensitive emergencies please call both our U.S. Urgent After Hours Contact number (+00 1.574.239.6545) and the appropriate TEAN South Korea contact. We are generally available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, as we have staff in both hemispheres.
Important Contact Notes for Routine Problems
- Once you are in South Korea, your Resident Assistant will be your first contact when issues arise
- Email is fine to use, but if you need an answer within 24-48 hours you should place a phone call
- If your routine question/problem is not addressed within 72 hours, your email was most likely not received and a phone call may also be needed.
Contact Info
During Orientation and throughout the program:
Urgent messages should be left with either our Urgent After Hours Contact number (574.239.6545) or the cell phone number listed below for the Resident Assistant:
Sandra Durinick (Seoul Resident Director):
011.82.10.3667.6453
Sandra.Durinick@teanabroad.org
Main U.S. Office: 1.312.239.3710
U.S. Urgent After Hours Contact: 1.574.239.6545