Practical Information for visiting Gyeongsangbuk-do

Coverage for mobile networks is excellent across the province with widespread 5G, as everywhere in South Korea.

Prepaid SIM cards and eSIMs are easy to arrange at the airports or in convenience stores with a passport, and data is fast and cheap.

Wi-Fi is free and ubiquitous, including on trains and buses and at the major historic sites.

Signal reaches into the mountains along the roads, with gaps in the deeper valleys and on some hiking routes.

Ulleungdo has coverage in the settlements and patchy signal on the cliff road.

Power is reliable, 220 volts on European-style round pins.

South Korea is extremely safe and this province is no exception; crime against visitors is rare. The hazards are weather, mountains and the sea.

• Typhoons hit this coast harder than anywhere else in South Korea, between July and September, bringing flooding and landslides. Warnings are pushed to every phone.
• Mountain hiking: trails are well marked and busy, but they are steep and rocky, weather changes fast, and winter ice causes most accidents. Start early, carry water, and register at the park office where asked.
• Ferry cancellations to Ulleungdo are frequent and can strand you for days.
• Summer heat in the inland basins is severe.
• Air quality warnings in spring.
• Traffic: scooters on pavements and right turns on red.

South Korean healthcare is excellent and inexpensive. Visitors pay at the time, and costs are modest by Western standards, but insurance is still worth having.

No vaccinations are required beyond routine cover; hepatitis A and typhoid are sometimes suggested, and Japanese encephalitis for extended rural stays in summer.

Ticks carrying severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome are present in rural and mountain areas between spring and autumn; long trousers and a check afterwards are sensible for anyone walking in long grass.

Air quality in spring can be poor for days at a time; forecasts are published and masks widely worn.

Tap water is safe.

Summer heat in the inland valleys causes real problems; heat advisories are issued and should be respected.

Pharmacies are everywhere and staff competent, though many drugs need a prescription.

This is the province where formality matters most. Age hierarchy, bowing and honorific language are observed more strictly here than in Seoul, and effort is noticed.

Remove shoes in homes, temples, guesthouses and raised-floor restaurants.

Two hands for giving and receiving, and when pouring or accepting a drink from an elder.

In the clan villages, people live there: keep your voice down, stay out of private courtyards, and ask before photographing anyone.

At temples, be quiet, circle pagodas clockwise, do not point feet at images, and ask before photographing monks.

Tipping is not done.

Dokdo: the islets are a matter of strong national feeling. It is not a subject for a casual visitor’s opinion.

Emergency numbers: 112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. The 1330 tourist hotline operates 24 hours with interpretation in several languages and will relay to emergency services.

Medical. General hospitals in Pohang, Gumi, Andong and Gyeongju handle serious cases, with larger university hospitals in nearby Daegu. Care is good and payment is expected at the time.

Typhoon and flood alerts are pushed to every mobile phone in the affected area, in Korean; translate them rather than dismissing them, as this coast is the most exposed in the country.

Mountain rescue is operated by the national park service; trails have numbered marker posts that identify your location when calling.

Ferries to Ulleungdo are cancelled at short notice for weather; check before travelling to the port.

Embassies are in Seoul.