Entry into South Korea: June 2022

This is going to be a long post so strap in… You can also skim through to the parts that may be pertinent to you.

I have been to South Korea many times before. However, this was my first time since the COVID19 pandemic, and I had no idea what to expect.

A lot of preparation and planning had to be done way before the day of departure. The regulations and requirements were continuously changing. From April until my departure date of June 2, I was constantly checking the embassy websites and any other blogs I could find to get more information. I hope this blog post based on my most recent experience can be helpful to upcoming travelers to South Korea (unless the requirements change again!).

It may be important to note that I traveled with my brother for this trip, and we had a bit of a snafu with his situation. Stay tune to know more because you might be in similar shoes at him.

Disclaimer: This post is entirely based off my own experiences when I traveled in June 2022. Regulations and requirements are continuously changing, so please check the entry requirements through the your embassy’s website.

Flight Ticket Purchase

I purchased my flight to South Korea in early April 2022 through Asiana Airlines. These tickets were MUCH more expensive than what I had paid for the four previous times I’ve been to South Korea. However, the purchasing process was pretty straightforward and similar to what it was like prior to the pandemic.

Things You MUST Do Prior to Departure

Q-Code is the Quarantine COVID 19 Defense system that South Korea has put in place for travelers to input their vaccination information and to submit their negative COVID test results prior to arrival. This is only required for travelers who are fully vaccinated and qualifies for quarantine exemption. This registration is free for everyone

The application is straightforward but lengthy, so I recommend that you start inputting all of the information aside from your negative test results early. You can save your application, and input your test results right before your departure. (More information about the COVID tests later in this post.)

After you submit your negative test results and answer some pre-departure questions, they will immediately be provide you with a QR code on the website. They will also send you the QR code via email. This is the first thing they will check for once you land in South Korea. Having the QR code on your phone for scanning will suffice since airport wifi is readily available in the terminal, but I recommend you print out a paper copy of the QR code in case your email does not load. I always like to be on the safe side although it may seem unnecessary.

Apply for K-ETA

K-ETA stands for Korea Electronic Travel Authorization. This is only for those who come from countries that can enter South Korea without a visa. You do need to pay a fee of 10000 won, which is approximately $9 USD, but your K-ETA is valid for 2 years. The website says you should apply 72 hours prior to departure, I’m assuming it’s because it takes time for the application to process. The application itself was similar to Q-Code minus all the information about vaccination status. When I applied, my application was approved in about 30 minutes. I printed paper copies of this just in case, but I was never asked for it.

When I was on the flight, it seemed like some passengers did not do the K-ETA, so they were given another form to fill out on top of the arrival form and declaration form. When we landed, they went into a separate line instead of the Q-Code line.

Acquire Negative COVID Test Results

Starting May 23, 2022, South Korea started accepting rapid antigen tests (RAT) as well as PCR tests. The RAT MUST be a supervised test done at a hospital or clinic, and the results must have all the necessary information a PCR test would. The time frame for the two tests are different: PCR tests must be done 48 hours prior to departure, and RATs must be done 24 hours prior to departure.

After you get your results, upload your results to Q-Code ASAP! Then, make sure you have a PAPER COPY of your test results (or print a couple, just in case). When you check-in at the airport counter, they will ask you for a paper copy of your test result.

Getting COVID Tests Prior to Departure

I scheduled weeks prior to our departure date two PCR tests from different providers for both my brother and me. Following the news of South Korea also now acceptive RATs, I then scheduled RAT appointments. The reason why I do this is, based on my previous experiences, COVID result times can be unpredictable. Not only is it important for you to do more than one test to increases the chances of you getting results back faster, it is also important to select different providers since that may contribute to when you will get your results back.

If you are from San Francisco, here are the clinics that I made appointments for:

Worksite Labs located near SFO airport (PCR): Test was administered at 7AM, and results came back same day at 5PM.
Color through my work (PCR): Test was picked up in the afternoon, and results came back next day at 9AM.
CVS Pharmacy (PCR): Test was administered at 10AM, and results did not come back in time for the flight the next day. (I was told by others that their tests came back next day though for their own trips.)
CVS Pharmacy (RAT): Cancelled appointment since we already received our PCR results from Worksite Labs.

Landing in Incheon Airport

When you land and exit the plane, you will walk towards the immigration area. However, before reaching the immigration area, there is an area where they will scan your Q-Code. The line moves quickly so have your QR code ready to be scanned. You can show your QR code on your phone or on paper. Once you are at the front of the line, you will be directly to a table where someone will ask you to scan your QR code on the scanner, then hand them your passport. This is when they will review the Q-Code application you have submitted online and verify the information. If you reported no symptoms in the last 21 days on the application, you will get a paper that says “Health Screening Certificate,” then you will proceed to the immigrations area. Other than the Q-Code scanning area, everything else in the process of entering the country seems to be the same.

If you had tested positive for COVID19 recently (or have had symtoms)…

Before I begin, I want to say that testing positive for COVID19 should not be stigmatized. No one should be ashamed or be blamed for testing positive. What is important is that they consciously do everything in their power to prevent the spread of COVID19, before and after infection. Everyone has a responsibility to contain the spread COVID19 regardless of infection status.

Okay, this is the part where my brother’s situation comes into play that made this trip very stressful before it even began!

Our flight is scheduled for departure June 2. My brother unfortunately tested positive for COVID19 prior to the trip. See below for the timeline of events:

May 21: Mild symptoms began.
May 23: Symptoms worsened. Tested positive on an at-home rapid test.
May 28: Still positive on at-home rapid test.
May 29: Tested negative on at-home rapid test.
May 30: Tested negative again on at-home rapid test. Went to COVID testing site for PCR test.
May 31: Received negative test results from PCR test.
June 1: Went to COVID testing at Worksite Labs for PCR test. Results negative again. (Used these results for Q-Code and travel.)
June 2: Departed on scheduled flight as planned with no problems.

So, you might be thinking “Everything worked out! So, where’s the snafu?”

After getting the negative test results from Worksite Labs, I submitted the results onto Q-Code, but there was a pre-departure questionnaire as well. It had some questions about if you travelled to other countries recently, and if you had any symptoms in the last 21 days. I said “none” for myself, but “yes” for my brother. I checked all the symptoms that he had from the provided list. The questionnaire also asked what you did after having symptoms, and I selected an option that said something like “took symptom-related medication.” Strangely, “tested positive for COVID19” was not one of the options on the questionnaire. I knew in the back of my mind that this might cause some problems, but honesty is the best policy! I also found on a website that says (paraphrasing) if you have tested positive for COVID within the last 10-40 days and has proof, you can also enter the country. From the positive rapid test to departure, it was exactly 10 days. (I cannot remember where I read this, but I will update this post if I can find the source again.)

So again, everything that led up to landing in South Korea went very smoothly. The problem started when we had to scan our Q-Code prior to customs. I cleared quickly and was given a piece of paper that said “Health Screening Certificate”, but when my brother scanned his QR code, the airport personnel saw that his application said he had symptoms in the last 21 days. She had a very shocked look on her face. (I’m guessing not many people reported having had symptoms or don’t report the symptoms at all if they tested negative prior to departure.) Her English wasn’t very good and neither was my Korean, so we communicated through a translator app for a little bit. Afterward I confirmed with her that my brother did have symptoms but not anymore and that we have negative COVID test results to prove it, she gave my brother a lanyard with a green placard. (There are other colored placards, and I’m assuming they need different levels of possible infection or other issues.) We followed her around the corner to some tables where another airport personnel was waiting to question us about my brother’s symptoms.

This airport personnel’s English also wasn’t very good, but thankfully I understood a good amount of what she was asking and answered on behalf of my brother. We did need to rely on the translator app for a few questions. The first few questions were about his symptoms and if he was positive for COVID19, so I said yes. Then she asked when the symptoms started and if we have proof of positive results. I told her we do, but results were from an antigen test that he did at home. Thankfully, we had a picture of it, so she took at picture of it on her phone. She then asked many questions about his medication history to fill out a paper form, like if he’s on any other type of medication, whether he smoked, if he is claustrophobic, etc. After the series of questions, my brother was given the Health Screening Certificate as well and was cleared to go through customs with me. I was honestly pretty nervous that they were going to ask my brother to quarantine, but I think this measure is just for them to be extra sure of who is infectious and not infectious coming in and out of the country.

I’d imagine this process would be more slow and possibly frustrating for non-Korean speaking travelers. I do want to say, in my opinion, the airport personnel not being able to speak English well should not be a circumstance that foreign travelers should complain about. We are in their country where English is not a requirement, and they are still trying their best to communicate with and accommodate foreign visitors. It makes more sense for me to be respectful of the people and culture in the country that I chose to visit, instead of them accommodating to my needs as a foreign.

PCR Test After Arriving in South Korea

After arriving in South Korea, you are required to do a PCR test within 3 days of arrival. You can make appointments for PCR tests at Incheon International Airport through Safe2GO. Note that there are three testing centers at the airport, two in Terminal 1 and one in Terminal 2. The two testing centers in Terminal 1 are right next to each other. I went to the Terminal 1 (West) testing center. The website said appointments are required, but when I was there, there is a line for walk-ins. Two people lined up in the walk-in line, but they were quickly told to just line up behind us in the reservation line. The cost of the PCR test is 80000 won, which is about $65 USD. The process was pretty quick: registration, payment, then PCR test. (A warning for some: just be mentally prepared how deep they will insert the swab. I am no stranger to PCR tests because I had to do a lot of them due to symptoms earlier in the pandemic and also due to the nature of my job, but I have never had a swab go that deep before… They do it really quickly though, so I couldn’t even react to it until it was over.)

You get the test results the same day via email. *I am completely unsure what I am supposed to do with the test results. It doesn’t anywhere about submitting them anywhere. I will update this if and when I figure this part out…

Another heads up, PCR tests can also be done at certain medical institutions around Seoul. I went to a few clinics and even called one, and none of them did PCR tests anymore. I had no choice but to go back to the airport to do the PCR test. I landed at 3:30AM, and the airport testing centers open at 7AM. I thought it would be easier to leave the airport earlier and get it done near my accommodation, but it was not the case… Just do it at the airport for hassle-free.

I hope you were able to find some useful information in this blog post. Stay tuned for other updates on my trip in South Korea!

JUJUTRAVELS