Seoul to Ulleungdo and Dokdo: which ferries still run, and how to book them as a foreigner

Many English guides still send you to Gangneung for the Ulleungdo ferry.
Seaspovill, the operator, lists no Gangneung sailings in its November 2026 timetable.
As of 30 October 2026, the sailings you can book leave from Pohang and from Mukho Port in Donghae, and Seaspovill's timetable lists Mukho sailings only through 8 November.

For most people starting in Seoul, Pohang is the answer.
You can take the 09:50 fast ferry after an early KTX, or the 23:00 overnight ship after an evening KTX.
The overnight ship arrives in time for the first Dokdo boat, and it keeps sailing in winter, on a later 23:50 departure.

Which Ulleungdo routes are running?

Fares include the terminal fee but not the fuel surcharge, which each operator posts in its notices.
Surcharge fares are about 10% higher and apply on dates each operator announces in its notices; Seaspovill's fare pages say they can apply on weekends, public holidays and peak travel periods.

Daejeo Ferry's timetable notes that weather and ship conditions can change the departure or arrival port.
Check the port on your ticket the evening before.

UL Cruise sells whole cabins only on weekdays and only by phone.
A bed in a shared room is sold per person, at the fare above.
Book it online if you can pass Korean phone verification; otherwise call UL Cruise or buy at the terminal.

Getting from the train to each ferry

Pick the ferry first, then work back to the train.

Daytime fast ferry from Pohang. Daejeo Ferry sails from Pohang Ferry Terminal, which is not UL Cruise's Yeongilman Port, so check the terminal on your ticket.
The terminal is not at the station either, so pick a KTX that reaches Pohang Station early enough to cross town before boarding.
Daejeo Ferry's shuttle page lists a bus from Pohang Station to the terminal, with its timetable shown as an image, and a taxi is the fallback.

Overnight ship from Pohang. UL Cruise runs a free shuttle from KTX Pohang Station to Yeongilman Port at 20:20 and 21:25, and you don't need to book it.
Seats may be limited, so keep a taxi as the backup.
Choose a KTX that reaches Pohang Station before one of those two runs.

Mukho Port. Seaspovill asks you to arrive 60 minutes before departure, so you need to be at the Mukho terminal by 07:20. Check the train times to Donghae before you book; if no train gets you there in time, stay the night before near the port.

Check train times and fares on the rail operator's English booking site before you buy the ferry ticket.

Daejeo Ferry's Pohang terminal, departure point for the 09:50 fast ferry.

UL Cruise's ticket office, parking and berth for the overnight ship.

Seaspovill's Mukho terminal, departure point for the 08:20 ferry.

Booking and boarding with a foreign passport

Boarding is simple: show your passport.
Booking online is the hard part.

• ID at the gate. Daejeo Ferry and Seaspovill both say to bring ID on the day, and you can be refused boarding without it. Seaspovill's list of accepted ID includes a passport and a residence card.

• Your name must match. Seaspovill takes each passenger's name, sex, date of birth and contact number, and refuses boarding if the ID doesn't match the booking. Enter your name exactly as it appears in your passport.

• Korean-only sites. The three operators' booking pages are in Korean, and Daejeo Ferry's booking button opens a separate booking engine, also in Korean.

• Korean phone verification. UL Cruise's member sign-up uses Korean mobile identity verification. A tourist without a Korean number may not be able to sign in.

• Foreign cards are unconfirmed. We could not confirm whether these sites accept foreign-issued cards, so treat online payment as uncertain.

If online booking fails, these are the options:

1. Phone the operator. UL Cruise is on 1533-3370, Daejeo Ferry on 1899-8114 (09:00–17:00) and Seaspovill on 1577-8665. Lines are usually staffed in Korean, so a Korean-speaking friend or your hotel front desk can help.

2. Ask someone in Korea to book for you. They book under your passport name and date of birth, and you show your passport at the counter.

3. Buy at the terminal. Seats may still be available at the counter on quiet weekdays, but there is no guarantee. Seaspovill stops issuing tickets 10 minutes before departure, and UL Cruise may refuse boarding if check-in isn't finished 30 minutes before sailing.

UL Cruise and Seaspovill both ask you to reach the terminal 60 minutes before departure.
On Seaspovill, a mobile ticket replaces the paper one, but you show the QR code together with your ID.

Dokdo: what the boat actually gives you

The Dokdo boat is an out-and-back trip of about four hours from Ulleungdo.
Landing depends on the weather and the ship's condition, so a trip can end without going ashore.

Can foreigners go ashore? Tourist landings work by notification.
When you buy a Dokdo ticket, the operator files the entry report for everyone on board, and the county issues the receipt.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the national heritage agency describe this one procedure for all visitors and set out no separate step for foreign nationals.
If you want a definite answer for your nationality, ask the operator when you book.

How often does it dock? No official docking-success rate is published.
Ulleung-gun, the island's county office, posts a next-day outlook that says whether docking looks possible at 09:00 and at 15:00, a morning and an afternoon slot, based on the wave forecast.
The county notes that the actual decision can differ.
The official pages also say:

• From April to June, the seabird breeding season, the number of ferry landings is restricted.

• Each landing is capped at 470 people.

• Visitors can go only onto the pier of the east islet. The west islet needs separate county permission.

UL Cruise says pets are not allowed on any Dokdo-bound ship.

Weather cancellations: what happens and how much buffer to keep

Even the big overnight ship stops: UL Cruise's timetable shows both directions halted on 27 October 2026.

When a sailing is cancelled for weather, UL Cruise's rules work like this:

• Pohang departures are cancelled and fully refunded. You must make a new booking yourself.

• Ulleungdo departures move automatically to the next sailing. Contact the ticket office only if you want a refund instead.

What this means for planning:

• Keep one buffer day after your planned return, especially from November to March. Don't book a flight home for the evening you leave the island.

• Check the night before and the morning of. Each operator posts its sailing status on its site. Seaspovill's site also links the county's Dokdo docking outlook, live Ulleungdo cameras and the national marine forecast.

• Winter has fewer options. Seaspovill lists no Mukho sailings after 8 November. UL Cruise's November timetable marks ship inspection on 23–25 November: no sailing from Pohang on the 23rd or 24th, and none from Ulleungdo on the 24th or 25th. Check the operators' notices for later inspection dates before you book December travel.

There is no airport yet.
The island's airport is still under construction, and a May 2026 news report put its opening in 2028. Plan around the ferries.

Seasickness on the crossing

The crossing is open sea, and the fast ferries pitch hard in a swell.
The overnight ship sells beds in cabins, so you can lie down for most of the trip.
If you get seasick, that is a real reason to choose it over the 09:50 fast ferry.

Buy motion-sickness tablets or patches at a pharmacy in Seoul before you leave, and ask the pharmacist about timing and drowsiness.
Take them before boarding, not once you feel ill.
Sit low and in the middle of the ship, and keep your eyes on the horizon.

What two nights cost, per person

The overnight ship counts as one of your two nights, so the low plan pays for only one hotel night.

Ferry and Dokdo fares are the operators' regular listed prices from late October 2026. Add the KTX between Seoul and Pohang, the fuel surcharge, and about 10% on surcharge days.
Lodging ranges come from a hotel-comparison site's Ulleungdo listings in late October 2026, and they climb on holiday weekends.
Island buses, taxi tours and meals are not included.

If your dates fall between November and March, sail from Pohang and keep a spare day.
If Dokdo is the reason for the trip, take the overnight ship and the 06:40 Dokdo boat on the morning you arrive.
If that trip can't land, a second try means adding a night on the island.