Cheap Travel from South Korea to Japan

Here's the question:

How can I buy a plane ticket through Jeju Air?I can read hangeul, but still understand very little. I have been on their website (of which they do not have an english language version) and see -or think I see- that they have cheap flights to Osaka. Much cheaper than Korean Air and Japan Airlines. I don't know if I will be able to navigate my way through purchasing a ticket online because of the language difficulty, plus I am worried that like many other websites, you will not be able to purchase it with your alien registration number. Do you know if there is any way around
this? For example is there perhaps a Jeju Air office in Seoul I could go to? Or a travel agency?

James

Surprising as it may sound, I found an eHow article on "How to Book Travel on Jeju Air". Lucky I guess, but it doesn't specifically address your request for a flight to Japan. Also interesting at the bottom of that page was this info under "Tips and Warnings".

* Jeju is also called Cheju, depending on the translation.

* This airline does not offer a Web site in English. There is no way for English speakers to book with them directly. If you would like to learn more about the airline, try an online translation engine.

* Consider Jeju Air's domestic challengers for the South Korean market, Hansung Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. Hansung Airlines, another low-fare air service, runs most of the same routes as Jeju Air. Compare prices to get the best deal.

* Jeju Air only caters to South Korean domestic flights. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are the Korean air services available for international travel. Their Web sites will have English translations

All of that seems pretty upsetting, however, let's follow that articles lead first. Jeju Air is based out of Gimpo Airport, so one would think that visiting the airport and purchasing tickets would be the best way to do it by yourself .You mentioned that you found a flight to Osaka, and contrary to what eHow said, I also found flights from Incheon to Osaka. I only saw domestic flights going between Gimpo, Jeju, Busan and Cheongju. I'm not sure about the ARC, so if you are close to Gimpo, I would suggest stopping by and seeing what you can dig up, but it looks like you'll have to go to Incheon.

I went to the Gimpo Airport website and did a little search. It showed me four flights leaving from Gimpo to Osaka (Kinsei). The main carriers are mostly national flag carriers, so they're going to be pricey. I think your best options, aside from camping out at the airport in hopes of jumping on stand-by, would be to look into some travel agents or even consider taking the boat. The travel agent that stands out to me has always been Xanadu. They're based in Itaewon and always have really good deals and packages, plus they speak English very well.

Start with them first and then go down the list of other options.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Western Music Festivals in South Korea this Summer

Here's the question:

I missed the DJ fest earlier this month. I didn't even know it was going on actually. Are there any other Western rock or dj festivals this summer? Is there a festival guide?

"Some Dude"

With the apparent success of the 3rd Seoul World DJ Festival, I figured I would be getting a few questions about upcoming festivals. And just as the questioner said, missing shows and festivals is all too common since there is very little public advertisement for any non K-pop musical acts or event. I'm a little surprised that you missed the DJ Fest. They aggressively promoted the event on facebook, myspace, twitter, naver, cyworld and just about every other major social networking site. They even emailed me and asked if ESL Teachers in Korea could "host" the event. They had it right and maybe some other ad teams will take a few cues.

There are two western-ish music festivals coming up this summer. There's the Jisan Valley Rock Festival in late July.



I was surprised to see they had attracted some relatively well-known western acts. And of course, there's the Pentaport Rock Festival.



Notice anything? The powers that be decided that since Korea has so many international rock festivals, it would be okay to hold two on the same weekend. The reason for this is just as I've said before, Japan's Fuji Rock Festival, which attracts tons of major acts, is held the same weekend and Korea tries to take advantage of the musical presence in the region. All of the big names playing at Jisan and Pentaport are also playing at Fuji. I would suggest taking a long weekend and cruise over to Japan for their fest. It looks excellent.

Honestly, Korea isn't a festival destination yet. There are issues with pay, location, venue, turnout and organization that have yet to be sorted out or understood here, so until then, you must make-do with the local acts and dive bar bands.

For a more comprehensive list of good resources, check this out.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Concerts, Shows and Live Music in Korea

Click here for a complete list of resources for music on the Korean peninsula.

Here's the question:

Hey, ive been in korea for 2 months now and havent been able to find a website that lists concerts in the country. Do you know any good links?

Excellent question and one that I was very frustrated with when I first arrived. Most of your favorite bands who happen to be doing an Asian tour will likely skip over Korea or will play at odd times. I remember when Prodigy came here a couple years ago and their set time was supposed to begin at 3pm on Thursday. It's unfortunate, but the market is just not big enough to attract most musicians. The music scene in Korea is awashed with very carefully manufactured pop music, so easy access to online resources and concert posters for everything else is something that is a little harder to come across. However, there are a few solid resources.

Depending on your musical preferences, there should be something out there for you. For instance 02 Pro lists big names of DJs coming to Seoul. The artists will more than likely be playing at popular clubs in the area, so you can always visit their websites as well. However, if you're looking to see some live tunes or are in search of a more diverse array of music, you'll probably need to head to Hongdae. There, you can find the occasional concert poster or some sort of flier detailing venue, time and artist info.

You can also check out Broke In Korea for "punk, ska, oi and other underground music".

I like to use Korea Gig Guide for the most part though. It's easily the best Korean gig site because it not only lists international acts, but it also lists good expat bands and non-K-pop Korean bands. There's also of forum (although a little weak) and map of venue locations in Hongdae for your convenience.



Most of the shows listed on the site are in Hongdae and quite a few genres are represented. You'll find punk, rock, metal, hip-hop, trance and house. For the most part, however, you will not find many jambands making the trip to Korea. I mention that because it happens to be my preference, but every time I check Jambase, it yields nothing for Korea. As frustrating as it might be, Japan seems to attract loads of bands, so for the really dedicated followers, a trip to Japan might be worth it. And honestly, Asia just isn't a big destination for Western acts, so if you're a dedicated music fan, be prepared to try some new sounds or get ready for a big break from live music.

I should mention that Korea does have a couple annual events that always attract Western acts. The World DJ Festival in Nanji-do, Seoul takes place every year in early May. This is a great show because it's an all-weekend thing and there is camping at Nanji campgrounds. Click here, here, here, here and here for some videos.

The other major Western music festival is The Pentaport Rock Festival (Wiki here) in Incheon. The original aim of the festival was to attract major names that had just finished playing at the extremely popular Fuji Rock Festival to Korea, but have had limited success.(My favorite band, Umphrey's Mcgee, played in 2006 and Disco Biscuits are playing this year.) In fact, each year produces less and less quality international artists. 2009's lineup has not be released yet, but I'm not expecting much. Still, it's a big festival, a lot of fun and some people really love it.

While Korea might seem like a black hole for international acts, it's not. There have been some major acts perform here (Eric Clapton, Oasis, Beyonce, Jay Z, etc...), but in the end, it's a country where there are very little counter-culture elements and yet they still manage to have a full line-up of relatively unknown bands and musicians headlining every night. It might take a little while to get adjusted, but there's never a shortage of tunes to be heard.

And plus, Korea has Jung Sungha. He's amazing and has over 53,000,000 views on youtube. That's pretty good for an 11 year old.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.