Informational handbook

Inoculations

Korean government regulations do not require any inoculations of travelers except for those arriving from a plague, yellow fever or cholera infected area. HIV testing is not required for American grantees coming to Korea. Some American physicians recommend inoculations against such diseases as hepatitis, typhoid, typhus, cholera, polio and smallpox. You should consult your own physician before deciding whether or not to obtain these or any other inoculations.

Especially in the case of accompanying children, it may be better to err on the side of caution and obtain any inoculations recommended by conservative medical practice. For children of school age, in particular, inoculations against diphtheria and whooping cough generally are considered advisable. The following vaccinations are recommended by Dr. John Linton, MD, a U.S. Board-certified physician at the Yonsei University College of Medicine and Director of the Severance Hospital International Health Care Center:
I. VERY IMPORTANT

1. 
   Diphtheria, Tetanus: Updated every 10 years with a single booster. If not updated in the last ten years, you need to start the series over. It is VERY IMPORTANT to do this before leaving the U.S. as reliable serum is in short supply in Korea.
   
2. 
   Hepatitis B: three shots over three months (1 month interval between the first two). A booster every five years should be considered. There is a lot of hepatitis B in Korea, and its consequences are quite severe. You should get as many of the shots as possible before leaving the U.S., but the series can be completed in Korea.
   
3. 
   Influenza. Annually. Available in Korea.
   

2. 
   SOMETIMES RECOMMENDED
   

1. 
   Hepatitis A: A vaccine is available in Asia and some doctors recommend it for foreigners living in Asia longer than 6 months, though in fact there is little Hepatitis A in Korea.
   

III. NOT CONSIDERED IMPORTANT IN KOREA (Vaccinations for all of these can be obtained in Korea in the unlikely event that there is an outbreak of the disease.)

1. 
   Typhoid
   
2. 
   Cholera
   
3. 
   Pneumococcal bacteria
   

2. 
   NOT RECOMMENDED
   

1. Gamma Globulin is a human serum derived product and is NOT recommended.

Although it is best to obtain any inoculations you or your physician may consider advisable well in advance of your departure for Korea, most inoculations are readily obtainable in Korea. To avoid any unnecessary discomfort while traveling, however, it is recommended that any inoculations obtained in the U.S. be completed at least one week prior to your departure for Korea.
For further inquiries about inoculations or any other health related matters, you should contact either the nearest representative of the U.S. Center for Disease Control or see their website and vaccinations list at: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/eastasia.htm Note that the CDC says reassuringly, “in highly developed areas of Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan, you should observe health precautions similar to those that would apply while traveling in the United States.”

Travel Arrangements

Paid round-trip economy-class travel between your "home of record" and Korea is one of the standard benefits of a Fulbright award. Any restrictions on your entitlement to this benefit, and any travel entitlement of an accompanying dependent, are detailed in the Fulbright Award Authorization.

There are several policy guidelines that impose certain restrictions on the Fulbright travel benefit. While most of these guidelines are those applied to any travel paid for by U.S. government funds, as a bi-national commission KAEC also has some guidelines of its own. The guidelines are as follows.
Travel must be on a U.S. or Korean flag carrier for all portions of the itinerary covered by the award. Exceptions are seldom permitted, and only with prior authorization from KAEC. Although travel may be arranged (within the limitations stated below) at the Fulbright grantee's convenience, any additional costs incurred for elective travel, stopovers en route or voluntary deviations from the approved route will not be reimbursed under the terms of the award.
Travel costs for accompanying family members normally are not included as a benefit of a Fulbright award, except for one primary dependent of a Fulbright senior scholar whose award is for a full academic year or ten (10) months. (Under current regulations, the dependent of a Fulbright student grantee is not eligible for a travel benefit regardless of the length of the award.) This travel benefit normally is available only if the dependent will remain in Korea for a "substantive" part of the period of the Fulbright award, which KAEC has interpreted as 80% or more of the grant period. The grantee's individual Fulbright Award Authorization specifies whether or not this additional benefit is provided. When this benefit is included in the terms of the award, the same conditions apply as those described above for the grantee.
You must advise us and our cooperating U.S. travel agent of your preferred itinerary well in advance of your anticipated travel date. At our instruction, based on your request, our agent will issue a ticket for your requested itinerary, with any modifications which may be required to conform with the guidelines stated above, and either mail it to you directly or arrange for you to pick it up at a travel agency near your home. Our U.S. travel agent is:
Pana Travel Service

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

email: [e-mail]

Person to contact: Ms. Doran Lee
Within the limitations of the guidelines stated above, you may make any changes in the itinerary that you wish prior to your departure for Korea. But these changes are permitted on the condition that any additional charges incurred will be solely at your own expense. Substantive adjustments in an itinerary after a ticket has been issued normally entail the payment of a penalty. In the interest of minimizing these additional charges, you should make every effort to finalize your travel plans before purchasing a ticket or requesting our agent to issue one for you.
All travel arrangements for dependents whose travel costs are not included in the benefits of your Fulbright award must be paid for independently. However, you may if you choose use the KAEC travel agent for these arrangements and pay the additional cost directly.
Please plan your schedule to arrive in Seoul on Monday through Thursday. Remember that travel from the U.S. will make you arrive the day after you leave. This schedule will allow for both airport pickup if necessary and for basic in-processing the day after you arrive. Arrival on a weekend or a Korean or US holiday is not recommended.