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S korea again? S korea again?
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Northern and Central Asia Topics specific to Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, China, Japan and Korea
Photo by Sean Howman, The Pamir highway in an unseasonably cold late October, Tajikistan

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Sean Howman,
The Pamir highway in an unseasonably
cold late October, Tajikistan



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  #1  
Old 31 Jan 2009
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S korea again?
Been reading some reports lately...

Kevin Maher said:

Quote:
July 3 - 6 Monday - Thursday, Seoul Korea, Speedo reading 26,668 km Doesn't look like I'll be doing any mileage in Korea. Round to Fedex to try to clear bike. Finally got Fedex guy to bring me to customs. Short story is no import on a temporary basis is possible, only by paying duties - I push and I'm off over to another office to try there. Yes it is possible but they need 2 days to get approval by department of transport, 1 day to arrange insurance etc. This is the only hope after a day of no food and lots of no's.. My options are :
1. bonded truck freight to Sokcho for a ferry out of Korea past North Korea and into Russia.
2. Other airfreight to Vladivostok
I had hoped to bluff my way through here but no joy. Spent 2 x days with the main man in Korea Fedex transport S. W. Kim who was fantastic. After 2 days he has convinced atrucking company to truck me and the bike to Sokcho the next day and to hold it there for delivery by me to the ferry on Thursday. Off we go so...

Erm so can you or can't you ride off the Dong Chun ferry from Vladivostok? , we've settled the insurance thing in the other thread , I mean is it as simple as get on the ferry at Vlad , kip for 24 hours to Korea, buy insurance and ride out to my shipper?.

In that the above report seems to suggest that no riding in Korea for non Korean vehicles.. whats the 2 days for approval from dept of transport?...!

Any thoughts ?

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  #2  
Old 31 Jan 2009
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I'll be doing the same trip. You got me worried as well. Anyone?
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Old 31 Jan 2009
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#1 Ken, it's all fairly logical. Yes, you will have to pay a fee for temporary importation and for insurance.

The person you quoted was on a tight budget and did not want to pay these fees. As a result, they elected to ship the vehicle rather than driving on Korean roads in order to save money.

Riding on South Korean roads with a foreign registered bike IS FEASIBLE and VERY EASY. I did it 7 months ago with out problem. It took me all of 3 hours to obtain the necessary paperwork (customs clearance and insurance certificate) and I was riding out of Busan enroute to Sokcho the same afternoon.

Doing it in reverse out of Sokcho is just as straightforward. The customs and insurance offices are located right at the ferry terminal and are used regularly by both local and foreign travellers.

Feel free to PM me if you require further clarification.

Garry from Oz.
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Old 31 Jan 2009
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Hmm right ok , question is how much does it cost ? , in that travelling across land Russia is working out fairly cheap, its the cost of the visas LoI for russia and the Stans that is really eating into my budget.

In that the alternative I suppose is Japan , which means carnet , since a carnet is another £1000 , if the Korean tax is £1000 I may go via Japan instead and ship from there.
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Old 31 Jan 2009
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I have dug out my paperwork and can advise costs as follows:

Eagle shipping costs for local handling and import/customs charges in Busan 191,000 Won ($138)

Korean Road Insurance ~ $100 (I've lost the receipt)

Dong Chun Ferry charge for bike from Sokcho - Vladivostok 294,000 Won including all taxes ($212).

I had some other warehousing charges which I had to pay in Busan but that was because the bike crate sat in the bonded warehouse for a fortnight before I arrived in Korea to collect it - you shouldn't have this problem if you are travelling on the ferry with the bike.

All in all far cheaper than a carnet and you will still need to pay for shipping from Vladivostok to Japan (more expensive than Vladivostok to Sokcho) and buy insurance for the Japanese roads.

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Old 1 Feb 2009
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Excellent thanks!
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Old 20 Feb 2009
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Non Korean vehicles are allowed. I have met several riders and the Forwoods rode all over S. Korea, visiting with us at our apartment (anyone else riding through is welcome) You cannot ride any bike on the expressway and insurance can be spendy. While I only pay 166,000 won a year, I am an F-2 visa holder, so the 140 bucks a year is high, a tourist is going to take it in the shorts for a years coverage even though he or she is only visiting for a week or two.
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