South Korea Overview

Officially known as the Republic of Korea, South Korea is situated on the Korean Peninsula, in East Asia. Its only border is with North Korea. South Korea’s capital city is Seoul.

Getting to South Korea

The best way in which to get to South Korea is by air. South Korea’s main international airport is Incheon International Airport, which is situated about 70km to the west of Seoul. A number of airlines operate flights to Incheon Airport from the U.K.

The Korean International Circuit

The Korean International Circuit is situated in Yeongam, in the South Jeolla Province, in the south-west of South Korea.  It’s about 370km to the south-west of Seol, so if you hire a car at Incheon International Airport, it will take you about 5 hours to reach the circuit. Alternatively, you could take a high-speed train from Seoul to the town of Daebul and travel to the circuit from there.

The circuit was constructed in 2010 and should be completed just in time for the 2010 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix. Designed by Hermann Tilke, it is comprised of a permanant section and a temporary section. The temporary section passes along the harbour.

There are 18 turns and 3 high-speed straights on the track, with the longest straight measuring 1.2km. The circuit is 5.621km long and the F1 drivers will aim to complete 55 laps of it.

Hotels near Yeongam

Yeongam is in a rural area of South Korea, so finding accommodation there isn’t easy. There are some hotels and guesthouses, such as the Shangria Beach Tourist Hotel and the Shinan Beach Hotel, in the nearby city of Mokpo, and there are also a number of hotels in the city of Gwangju. The city of Seoul, however, has a wide range of hotels for you to choose from.

Nearby Attractions

South Korea is a beautiful place and is well worth exploring. If you’re visiting South Korea for the F1 Korean Grand Prix, you may want to extend your stay and see some of the state’s many attractions.

The city of Mokpo, which is only a short distance from Yeongam, is home to a number of attractions,  including South Korea’s National Maritime Museum and the Mokpo Natural History Museum.

You could also spend some time exploring Seoul. Attractions in the city include the palaces of Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, the National Museum of Korea, N Seoul Tower and the Everland theme park.

Essential Information

South Korea is 8 hours ahead of the U.K and the currency used is the South Korean Won.

The schedule for the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship is:

• Bahrain Grand Prix (12 – 14 March 2010)
• Australian Grand Prix (26 – 28 March 2010)
• Malaysian Grand Prix (2 – 4 April 2010)
• Chinese Grand Prix (16 – 18 April 2010)
• Spanish Grand Prix (7 – 9 May 2010)
• Monaco Grand Prix (13 – 16 May 2010)
• Turkish Grand Prix (28 – 30 May 2010)
• Canadian Grand Prix (11 – 13 June 2010)
• Grand Prix of Europe (25 – 27 June 2010)
• British Grand Prix (9 – 11 July 2010)
• German Grand Prix (23 – 25 July 2010)
• Hungarian Grand Prix (30 July – 1 August 2010)
• Belgian Grand Prix (27 – 29 August 2010)
• Italian Grand Prix (10 – 12 September 2010)
• Singapore Grand Prix (24 – 26 September 2010)
• Japanese Grand Prix (8 – 10 October 2010)
• Korean Grand Prix (22 – 24 October 2010)
• Brazilian Grand Prix (5 – 7 November 2010)
• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (12 – 14 November 2010).

In the next post in this series, we’ll be taking a look at Bahrain, the venue for the first Grand Prix of the 2010 season.