- Great circle
- 9,625 km
- 5,981 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 12h 28m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 53.3°N
- at 53% along
- One lap of Earth
- 24.0%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 48th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From Los Angeles the path crosses the United States, then 8,952 km of open water, then South Korea.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 53.3°N, 53% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 10,400 km. That is 775 km further, about 8% more, and roughly 58m of extra flying.
Leaving Los Angeles the aircraft points north-west (314°); it arrives into Seoul heading south-west (229°). That is 85° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
LAX
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States · North America
33.9°N, 118.4°W
Los Angeles to Seoul, asked and answered
- How far is Los Angeles to Seoul?
- Los Angeles to Seoul (LAX to ICN) is 9,625 km, or 5,981 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Seoul?
- About 12h 28m in the air. That is an estimate from the distance at a typical airliner block speed, plus half an hour for taxi, climb and descent; published schedules vary with winds and routing.
- What route does a Los Angeles to Seoul flight take?
- The great circle passes over the United States, then 8,952 km of open water, then South Korea. It reaches 53.3°N at its furthest from the equator.
Where these numbers come from
Distances are computed from the two airports’ own coordinates, not looked up from published routes. Times are estimates, not schedules.
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