South Korea islands and ferries: which to visit, booking, ID and weather

Which islands are worth the crossing

The right island depends on how much time you can give it. A short hop such as Udo fits into a Jeju day; a long open-sea crossing such as Ulleungdo only makes sense if you stay several nights. These five are the ones we cover in full guides, ordered from the easiest to the most committed.

All crossing times below come from VisitKorea, the county websites or the operator, and are what those pages gave when we checked on 2026-10-03. Timetables, fares and the number of daily sailings change by season, so treat them as a guide to the effort involved and confirm the day's sailings before you travel.

• Udo (from Jeju): ferries leave Seongsan Port or Jongdal Port on Jeju's east coast and take about 15 minutes. VisitKorea describes a 17-kilometre circuit that takes 3 to 4 hours on foot, or 2 to 3 hours by electric bike, and recommends a morning ferry over and an afternoon ferry back. The easiest island in Korea for a first try.
• Cheongsando (from Wando): about 40 minutes by passenger ferry according to VisitKorea, or 50 minutes according to Wando County. A slow city of stone walls, terraced paddies and walking routes; a long day trip, better with a night on the island.
• Tongyeong's islands (Hansando, Bijindo, Yeonhwado): Tongyeong sits in Hallyeohaesang National Park, and VisitKorea singles out Hansando, Bijindo and the Maemuldo islands. Bijindo is 13 km from Tongyeong Port, with a 550-metre beach linking two halves of the island; Yeonhwado is about two hours by boat. Hansando, with its Admiral Yi Sun-sin sites, is the closest.
• Hongdo (from Mokpo): about 2 hours 30 minutes by ferry from Mokpo, a protected natural monument with red cliffs and a sightseeing boat around its 33 rocky islets. Mokpo's terminal also serves Heuksando and Gageodo. Plan at least one night.
• Ulleungdo (from Pohang): the operator Daezer Ferry gave 2 hours 50 minutes one way from Pohang on the El Dorado Express and 3 hours 40 minutes on the slower Sunrise; VisitKorea also mentions ships from Mukho Port near Donghae. A volcanic island of cliffs and coastal trails, with boats onward to Dokdo. Give it three nights.

How ferry booking works

There is no single national ferry operator. Each route is run by a shipping company, and the Korea Shipping Association runs a combined booking site (island.theksa.co.kr) that lists destinations from Baengnyeongdo near Incheon to Ulleungdo, Udo off Tongyeong and Gapado and Marado off Jeju, with timetable and fare searches, booking and a real-time operation page. VisitKorea points travellers to the association for port and ferry information. The booking pages we read on 2026-10-03 were in Korean; if you are stuck, the 1330 Korea Travel Hotline (+82-2-1330) answers in English and several other languages.

The big routes have their own sites. For Ulleungdo, Daezer Ferry sells tickets directly, offers combined KTX and ferry booking, and runs a shuttle between Pohang Station and the Pohang ferry terminal. For Jeju, VisitKorea lists ferries from Incheon, Mokpo, Goheung (Nokdong), Yeosu, Wando, Jindo and Samcheonpo, names the operator for each and marks many of their sites as Korean only. Its timetable was last updated in June 2025, so use it to see which ports have a Jeju route and check the operator for actual sailings.

Short local crossings are simpler. VisitKorea's Udo listing gives one combined price that covers the ferry, the island admission fee and a utility fee, with separate rates for cars, so there is no separate island ticket to arrange. For long crossings, weekends and Korean holidays, book as early as the operator allows.

Read the refund rules before you pay. When we checked on 2026-10-03, Daezer Ferry's FAQ listed cancellation fees of 10% two to three days before departure, 20% the day before and 50% on the day. Other operators set their own rules.

ID rules: carry your passport, not a photo of it

Korean passenger ferries check identity at ticketing and boarding. VisitKorea states that a passport or personal ID is required to board ships at every Jeju ferry terminal it lists, and its Udo listing says ID must be presented to board the ferry. For a foreign visitor that means your passport, in your hand rather than in the hotel safe.

Daezer Ferry publishes the full list of documents it accepts. For foreign nationals, when we checked on 2026-10-03, it listed an alien registration card, an overseas Korean residence card, a passport within its validity period, a Korean-issued disability card, a (international) driving licence, an international student card, a permanent-residence (green) card and a US Forces Korea ID. It explicitly rejects photocopies, photos of an ID, smartphone screenshots and expired documents. Children travelling with a parent or teacher can be identified through the accompanying adult.

Arrive early. At the Yeosu and Wando terminals, VisitKorea notes that passenger check-in closes 10 minutes before departure. Discounts for seniors, students or children also need proof at ticketing, Daezer's FAQ adds, so bring the card that proves the discount you booked.

Weather: build in a spare day

Every island page on VisitKorea carries some version of the same warning: Udo's ferries vary with the weather, and Hallyeohaesang National Park is subject to abrupt closure in adverse conditions. VisitKorea's climate guide adds that several typhoons pass between June and October and advises watching typhoon and heavy-rain advisories before and during a trip. A cancelled sailing is normal, not an emergency, as long as your plan has room for it.

Daezer Ferry explains how the decision is made on the Pohang–Ulleungdo route. The company analyses the weather from the previous evening to the morning and sails only when it judges the crossing safe; the decision can be heard on its ARS phone line after 07:00 on the day. When sailing looks very unlikely, or certain, it decides the day before and announces it between 15:00 and 17:00. When sailings are suspended for bad weather or a high-seas advisory, reservations are cancelled automatically and you rebook another date; card payments are refunded automatically, which Daezer says takes about 7 to 10 days.

Turn that into simple rules. Plan the island early in the trip, not at the end. Sleep in the port town the night before an early departure, so a delay costs you hours rather than a day. Keep one buffer day on the mainland side after any open-sea crossing, and book refundable onward trains and hotels for that day. Never plan a return crossing for the day before an international flight; that applies to Ulleungdo above all, but also to Hongdo and the overnight Jeju ferries.

Short crossings are more forgiving. If the Udo boat is not running, Seongsan Ilchulbong and the east coast of Jeju are right there; if Cheongsando is off, Wando's port and market still make a good seafood day. Choose island trips with a plan B at the port.

Fitting islands into a Korea route

Each island hangs off a mainland hub, so the island usually decides where the rest of the trip goes. Most of the ports are reached by KTX or express bus plus a short local transfer.

Pair the island with the town you would visit anyway, and give the port town at least one night of its own: Mokpo, Tongyeong and Wando are worth an evening for their markets and seafood rather than being places to rush through.

• Jeju and Udo: fly to Jeju International Airport (most often from Gimpo or Gimhae), stay in Seongsan for the early boat. VisitKorea puts Seongsan Ilchulbong about 80 minutes from the airport by taxi.
• Mokpo and Hongdo: the KTX and SRT run to Mokpo on the Honam Line; Mokpo's passenger terminal is about 15 minutes by city bus from Mokpo Station. Mokpo also has ferries to Jeju.
• Wando and Cheongsando: express buses run from Seoul's Central City terminal to Wando. Wando also has ferries to Jeju from its Yeonan terminal, about five minutes by taxi from the bus terminal, which makes a south-coast route that ends on Jeju possible.
• Tongyeong's islands: fly into Gimhae (Busan) and take the intercity bus from Busan Seobu terminal, about 80 minutes according to VisitKorea; from Seoul, intercity buses leave from Seoul Nambu Terminal.
• Ulleungdo: take the KTX to Pohang and the Daezer shuttle to the ferry terminal, or go via Mukho Port near Donghae. Allow three nights on the island and a buffer day afterwards.