Everything about traveling to Mongolia Part 1 (National information, Flights)

A country with a view of the horizon, a place where even those who have never been there say that once is not enough, Mongolia. When venturing out of daily life to another country, the first thing to know is information about the country I want to visit. Therefore, in Part 1 of Everything About Traveling to Mongolia, let's explore Mongolian national news and flights.

 

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What kind of country is Mongolia?

a. Geographical location

Mongolia is located in the inland region of Central Asia, bordered by Russia to the north, China to the south, and Kazakhstan to the west.

It is the 18th largest country in the world and about seven times the size of the Korean Peninsula.

The capital city is Ulaanbaatar, with an elevation of over 1,400 meters. Ulaanbaatar means "Red Hero" in Mongolian.

The northern region of Mongolia is close to Siberia, characterized by mountains and lakes, while the central region has major cities concentrated around rivers.

The southern part mainly comprises high mountain ranges and desert areas, with most of the site being dry.

Mongolia is approximately 2,000 km away from South Korea based on Incheon Airport as a reference, and the flight takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes. Mongolia is 1 hour behind South Korea in terms of time difference.

b. Overview of Mongolia

The population of Mongolia is around 3.2 million, with over 1.6 million residing in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.

About 50% of the population lives in the capital city since more than 50% of the administrative divisions, known as Аймаг (similar to provinces in Korea), are located there.

Therefore, the population density in the remaining Аймаг is very low. Mongolia has over 66 million livestock, more than 20 times the population.

The government system follows a semi-presidential approach with a solid parliamentary nature, where the President is responsible for diplomacy and defense, and the Prime Minister leads the cabinet.

Mongolia is a democratic country, but since gaining independence from China with the help of the Soviet Union in 1911, it still has many Soviet-style buildings and similarities in its government system.

c. Mongolian Economy

The GDP per capita, as of 2022, is $4,200, and the economic autonomy maintained an annual level of 3-4.5% before the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Mongolia has experienced a negative growth rate of over 5% since the pandemic.

Mongolia has received economic support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) several times. Recently, it showed signs of economic recovery in 2017. Still, the rapid decline in the economic growth rate due to COVID-19 in 2020, along with the maturity of loans borrowed from China, Japan, and others, has posed significant difficulties in repayment.

Mongolia is economically unstable, with the exchange rate showing a depreciation of over 40% compared to pre-COVID-19 levels and the inflation rate exceeding double digits for three consecutive years.

These challenging economic conditions have led to increased protests by the citizens.

d. Mongolian Politics and Diplomacy

The number of seats in the Mongolian Parliament is 76, of which the People's Party holds 62 seats, and the three influential figures, the President, Prime Minister, and Speaker of the Parliament, all come from the People's Party. Although they have established a one-party dominant regime, there are constant friction factors due to factional conflicts within the People's Party.

Mongolia maintains a traditionally friendly relationship with Russia, while historically, China has had hostile sentiments. However, Mongolia maintains a smooth relationship with China due to its high economic dependence, akin to an economic colony.

The United States and Japan, including financial aid and foreign currency acquisition through overseas deployments, provide considerable support, maintaining close relationships.

Mongolia strives to maintain a diplomatic balance with both North and South Korea, as both countries are diplomatic partners, but recently the relationship with South Korea has been improving.

Mongolia holds a critical position geopolitically and is a country that exercises its voting power in the international community.

Therefore, not only Russia and China but also the United States, Japan, and South Korea are countries that are quick to invest in and support Mongolia.

※ Before traveling to Mongolia, please check the safety-related information at the Embassy of Mongolia in South Korea.

 

How to go? Flight information

Flights to Mongolia operate from Incheon and Busan's Gimhae Airport. According to the results of the Korea-Mongolia aviation talks in February 2023, an additional regional airport, Daegu, Jeju, Yangyang, or Muan, was selected to operate flights to Mongolia. As a result, the number of flights has been continuously increasing.

a. Flights to Mongolia

There are flights from Incheon Airport and Busan's Gimhae Airport to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In addition, one regional airport was scheduled to be designated, Daegu Airport was finally selected, and flights started operating.

Various airlines are available, including Korean Air, MIAT Mongolian Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Busan Air, and LCC airlines, such as Jeju Air, T'way Air, and Air Busan. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for tourism, studying abroad, business, and labor force between Korea and Mongolia has been steadily increasing.

Therefore, it was decided to increase the number of flights continuously. The following are the final decisions made in the Korea-Mongolia talks in February 2023

The Incheon-Ulaanbaatar route will increase the number of flights by adding three flights from the current nine to twelve per week starting from the off-peak season in October to May of the following year.

During the peak season from June to September, the number of flights will increase from 18 to 22 flights per week by adding four flights.

The Busan-Ulaanbaatar route will increase the number of flights from three to six flights per week regardless of the peak and off-peak seasons.

The airfare for flights to Mongolia is similar among major airlines such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines and low-cost carriers such as Jeju Air and T'way Air.

The average round-trip fare is around 750$ to 850$, which is relatively expensive.

The characteristic of Mongolian flight fares is that even during the off-peak season, the prices are not significantly different from the peak season.

The prices are slightly lower from November to March, ranging from 600$ to 700$. There is no significant price difference between flights departing from Busan's Gimhae Airport and Incheon Airport.