Night sailings to Incheon's northwest islands — banned for 39 years on security grounds — are now permitted, opening a new era of travel to Baengnyeongdo, Daecheongdo and Yeonpyeongdo.
Incheon city officially announced the deregulation and the new operating framework Monday at Incheon Port's coastal passenger terminal.
The northwest islands — Baengnyeongdo, Daecheongdo, Socheongdo, Daeyeonpyeongdo and Soyeonpyeongdo — had been the only islands in the country where passenger ferry night operations were restricted, owing to their location in a border sea zone.
The Baengnyeongdo route is a long-haul crossing of about four hours each way. When morning weather was poor, vessels often could not complete the trip before sunset even if conditions improved in the afternoon, leading to repeated cancellations.
Last year, the Incheon–Baengnyeong route was suspended for a total of 71 days due to a combination of bad weather and operating restrictions, severely disrupting both island residents' freedom of movement and tourists' travel plans.
To address the problem, Incheon city worked with the Incheon Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, the Navy and the Korea Coast Guard to secure an amendment to USFKI 5200.08 governing vessel operations in the northwest islands.
Under the revised regulation, ferries previously allowed to operate only from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset may now sail from three hours before sunrise to three hours after sunset.
The city expects the extended window to reduce cancellations and improve service reliability by allowing sailings to continue into the night when weather permits.
Incheon city said the change goes beyond a simple extension of operating hours, projecting that it will ease transportation inconveniences for island residents, strengthen emergency response capacity — including medical evacuations — improve tourist access and ultimately boost the local economy.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
