South Korea — Visa & Airports

US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports get 90 days visa-free but must obtain K-ETA at k-eta.go.kr before boarding (KRW 10,000, valid 3 years). K-ETA has been temporarily waived for many major-passport nationalities under rolling ministerial notices since 2023 — check current status before you fly, since the waiver list changes year to year.

Incheon (ICN) handles nearly all long-haul arrivals and sits about 50km west of Seoul; Gimpo (GMP) covers regional Asia and domestic routes and is much closer to central Seoul. Busan Gimhae (PUS) and Jeju (CJU) are the other main gateways.