Public transportation in South Korea is famous for its convenience and cleanness. Public buses and trains will take you anywhere in South Korea very easily. Also, major cities like Seoul, Busan, and Daegu have their own subway system and help shorten morning & evening commute time.
You might think it will be easy to go to Seoul if you have a car. However, you will soon regret it when you face the reality of traffic & parking in Seoul. Osan Airbase to Seoul is only 30miles and it supposed to take about 40mins to 1 hour by driving, but usually takes about 1 1/2 hour to 3 hours during the weekend if you bring your car. Also, you have to pay fine if you bring a car that made before 2007 in order to prevent air pollution. Then, how can we go to Seoul without any hassles? Here are 3 best ways to go to Seoul from Osan AB.
1. SRT
SRT is short for Super Rapid Train. This train is run between Suseo & Busan and Suseo and Mokpo. Luckily, Osan AB is very close to one of SRT train station and it only takes 13-20mins to go to Seoul.
Take line 1 subway toward Pyeongtaek station and get off at Jije station. You can change to SRT train from Jije station. SRT is not a subway, so you must purchase a separate ticket. Since there is no standing sits in SRT, tickets are often sold out. If this happens to you when you are at the ticket booth, please don’t get upset or nervous. Tickets are refresh every second and many people make reservations and cancels. In order to prevent this happen, please make a reservation for your train. You can purchase tickets thru a website.
SRT English website CLICK HERE
2. Express Bus
Although SRT is the fastest way to go to Seoul, there is only one destination which is Suseo station. However, using a bus service gives you several different destinations in Seoul, so it might be easier to take the bus if you don’t want to transfer to other transportation. There are two different ways to get on the bus to Seoul from Osan AB or off base housing.
The first one is using the bus terminal. Songtan Bus terminal is a 15mins walk from Osan AB main gate and SED area. You can take buses from here to many destinations. This station has also an express bus to go to Incheon International Airport. There is a bus to Seoul Nambu Terminal every 30min and you can just purchase a ticket from Kiosk. If you wish to purchase a ticket before you get to the terminal, please click HERE and make a reservation. Osan AB to Seoul usually takes about 1 hour. In South Korea, buses can use a bus-only lane, so it will be faster if there is traffic on the highway.
The second one is using M-bus from the designated bus stop. M-bus stops several different destinations in the Gangnam area, Seoul. Buses run every 20~40mins, so check the schedule and go to the bus stop. The closest bus stops from Osan AB main gate are located right in front of Songtan city hall and 5mins walking down from Songtan Bus terminal.
3. Subway
The best thing about Osan Air Base is the base very close from public transportations unlike Camp Humphreys. Songtan subway station is 10mins walking distance from Osan AB main gate. However, it will take about an hour and a half to go to Seoul if you use a subway. The fastest way is to take line 1 train toward Pyeongtaek statin and transfer to express line 1 subway at Seojeong-ri station. This will save you about 20mins since express subway skips some small stations. Unfortunately, this subway skips Songtan station, so you need to transfer.
Need Help?
Traveling in a foreign country can be very stressful since there is a barrier to language and cultural differences. However, South Korea is one of the best countries to travel with public transportations. If you have any questions about traveling using these transportations, do not hesitate to contact us through our website or text to the following phone number. Our door is always open to assist you. Have a safe trip!!
Agent Hannah 010-6210-8069