Whether by air, land or sea, Korea’s logistics infrastructure is internationally competitive and continues to get faster and better by the day.
The fact that Korea is located at the center of air and maritime transportation networks in Northeast Asia gives it an inevitable edge. Seoul is within a 3-hour flight from 61 cities with a population of more than 1 million. With Northeast Asia being one of the world’s three major economic pillars, these make for some powerful connections.
When it comes to air transport, Korea’s biggest claim to fame is Incheon International Airport, the world’s best airport according to Airports Council International for eight straight years. We’ve got nine airports total, eight of them being international, and 11 civil airfields.
A peninsula country, Korea has plenty of sea ports as well. The Busan Port is Korea’s largest, not to mention, the fifth largest container port in the world.
We’re also well connected in terms of railways and road networks. The Korea Train Express, or KTX, is the world's fifth bullet train system and can reach the farthest point in the country within three hours. It has increased Korea’s passenger transportation capacity by 340 percent and its cargo transportation capacity by 770 percent. When it comes to roads, Korea has 29 highways and well-maintained national and regional roads.
With continued growth expected for the Asian logistics market due in large part to the growth of the Chinese economy, the Korean government has selected the building and operating of port terminals and major distribution centers in logistics complexes as the key to investment promotion in an effort to boost the competitiveness of our logistics industry. Plus, with its 45-country free trade agreement (FTA) network drawing the attention of global manufacturing and distribution companies to its air and sea ports, Korea is well on its way to becoming a global logistics hub.
Below is a look at some of Korea’s biggest ports and at Incheon International Airport.
Air and Sea Port Close-Up
Busan Port
The Busan Port lies on a major global shipping route linking Korea to North America, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. With throughput of 17.06 million TEU in 2012, the port serves as a Northeast Asian center of transshipments, with feeder networks connecting most of the ports in Japan and the coastal area of China. Located on the global trunk line, it is directly connected to 45 ports in China, 60 ports in Japan and five ports in Russia.
The North Port has five operators and 20 berths while the Busan New Port has 22 berths, 15 million TEU of throughput and water depth of 15-17 meters. Parts produced in China and Japan can be re-processed in the hinterlands of the New Port and exported to Korea’s FTA partners without tariffs. The Busan Port handles 75 percent of national port container cargo.
Yeosu Gwangyang Port
The Yeosu Gwangyang Port is the 15th largest container port in the world. With container volume of 2.14 million TEU (other cargo 2.37 million tons) in 2012, it provides easy access to China. Major facilities include a total of 83 berths, including the Gwangyang container pier, Yeosu petrochemical pier and the materials pier of POSCO Gwangyang Iron & Steel Co.
The port helps promote investment in the hinterlands of Gwangyang Harbor, where parts produced in China and Japan can be re-processed and then exported to Korea’s FTA partners without tariffs thanks to the Korea-EU and Korea-U.S. FTAs. Gwangyang Harbor has the potential to become a base for European electronics companies to advance into Northeast Asia by connecting the POSCO steel plate plant at Gwangyang Harbor Hinterland or the consumer electronics division of Samsung Electronics in Gwangju, for example, with large Chinese electronics corporations via Korea’s FTA network.
Incheon International Airport and Port of Incheon
As the gateway to the Seoul Metropolitan area, Incheon International Airport ranks second globally in terms of cargo throughput. Its fast and meticulous cargo-handling system and simplified customs clearance process help make it the best airport in the world. It also facilitates ferries on Korea-China and Korea-Japan routes.
In addition to duty free shops and restaurants, the airport boasts a culture museum, craft gallery, gardens, an observation deck and much more.
Its accolades include more than its distinction as the world’s best airport. Incheon International Airport is also one of three airports globally to have received a five-star rating by an aviation research organization called Skytrax.
The Port of Incheon, meanwhile, is Korea’s third largest container port (as measured by container throughput) and specializes in sea and air inter-modal transport. An industrial port with industrial complexes, it has contributed significantly to national economic and industrial development. As Korea’s second largest trade port, it is one of the world’s busiest international ports.
Both the Incheon International Airport and the Port of Incheon encourage the construction of global distribution centers based on research and development capability, abundant human resources, geographical proximity to relevant companies and easy access to the air and sea ports of the hinterlands.
Pyeongtaek Port
As Korea’s fourth largest port, Pyeongtaek Port has the largest pier for the exports and imports of automobiles. It serves as a processing and distribution base for automobiles and to provide a connection between remanufacturing and aftersales services.
Ulsan Port
As Korea’s largest port for industrial support, Ulsan Port recorded cargo throughput of 196.87 million tons in 2012 and export/import handling volume in 2012 of 171.52 million tons. It is the world’s fourth largest liquid cargo port and records Korea’s largest throughput for liquid cargo. It aims to serve as a Northeast Asian hub for liquid cargo and as Korea’s southeast logistics hub.
Source : Invest Korea
