Everything is hi-tech and high-rise in the booming South Korean capital – except its transport system. Jonathan Hart learns a lesson in patience Patience, please. Forget, for a moment, the long-term planning arguments and extra safety and time-consuming security issues. For convenience alone, it is all too rare these days for the frequent traveller to land at an international airport sited anywhere near a city of any size. An unavoidable fact of modern life that can be exacerbated in Asia where, with some exceptions, high-speed rail transfers have usually been added as an afterthought to the mammoth new terminals that are the order of the day.
Seoul’s Incheon International Airport is a case in point, sited not just on the far side of another city, Incheon, but also on mud flats off the coast. And although it is already six years old, with some deserved awards under its belt for smooth internal workings, a rapid rail system is notable by its absence, just like Bangkok’s present day Suvarnabhumi and Kuala Lumpur's KLIA during its formative years. Promised high-speed links with Seoul Station have yet to materialise, meaning that, in the interim, it is wise to add a minimum half day either side of an itinerary to negotiate your way into and out of town. A necessity even, given that the otherwise comfortable and efficient coach transfers between city terminals or hotels, despite travelling on dedicated highway lanes, have to contend with near gridlock traffic most hours of day and night. Nicknamed by locals as the Republic of Samsung (or Hyundai) in favour of the conglomerates whose tentacles or sponsorship stretch into virtually every aspect of city life, Seoul is an unashamed monument to sky high, shoulder-to-shoulder glass and concrete; a sprawling metropolis and pressure cooker squeeze of at least 25 million workers attempting to go places fast. For the first-time business visitor thrown into this largely unfathomable melee, the priority is to get to grips with the subway system or to base yourself as close as possible to the majority of your meetings; punctuality is expected across a city subdivided by seemingly permanent traffic congestion to both the north, Gangbuk, and south,
Gangnam, on the Han River, as well by the new financial district of Yeouido Island, a former airfield sited off-centre. Also useful to remember is that Seoul, as a pat on the back for its economic prowess, has awarded itself a five-day working week, Saturdays now the preserve of millions of families fighting their way through equally horrendous traffic to theme parks and sundry additional sporting, shopping or leisure pursuits. Once largely drab and indifferent, Seoul today has grown in every sense and, along with burgeoning new fashion and entertainment industries, is a self-appointed centre of international cool, with cutting edge hotels, bars and restaurants. The prerequisite is having patience, or taking the time, to enjoy them. Fast facts
Currency: South Korean won US$1=KRW914/€1=KRW1,264)
Tipping: not customary, although some restaurants and hotels now add a 10% service charge; taxi drivers do not expect a tip unless they have assisted with baggage
Time: GMT +9
Electricity: 110/220 volts (most hotels have 220 volts); US-style two- and three-pin plugs as well as European two-pin plugs
Public holidays 2007: August 15; September 24-26; October 3; December 25; 2008: January 1; March 1; May 1, 5; June 6; August 15; October 3; December 25
Climate: temperate, with four distinct seasons; summer, when temperatures can soar as high as 95°F (35°C); winter, when it can be bitterly cold with temperatures plunging to as low as 7°F (-13.7°C); spring and autumn are the best times to visit. Heaviest rainfall is during the summer monsoon period between June and September
Airport: Incheon, 50km/31 miles west of the city centre; bus services to the City Air Terminal (journey time of around 65 minutes), and to the main hotels (approximately 80 minutes); taxis take around one hour and cost KRW36,000 (US$40/€29).
Hotels: Grand Hyatt, Grand InterContinental, Imperial Palace, InterContinental Coex, JW
Marriott, Lotte, Park Hyatt, Sheraton Grand Walker Hill, Shilla, Westin Chosun
Business hours: 08.30/09.00-18.00 Mon-Fri; 09.00-13.00 Sat (government offices close at 17.00 November-February)
International dialling code: 82
In emergency: 112 (police); 119 (fire and ambulance) business do’s and don’ts
Do make a show of reading business cards when they are presented
Do arrive on time – punctuality is important
Do go to the trouble and expense of getting documents translated – it will pay dividends
Do be prepared for some heavy entertaining and late nights
Don’t try to accomplish too much at an initial meeting
Don’t engage in adversarial tactics – they won't work
Don’t even think about hiring a car – Seoul is an almost impossible city to find your own way around. Much better to engage a driver
| 
|
