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SEA → ICN

Seattle to Seoul: distance, flight time and the route it really takes

Seattle–Tacoma to Incheon is 8,373 km of great circle — 5,203 mi — and an estimated 10h 54m in the air. It crosses from North America to Asia.

Great circle
8,373 km
5,203 mi
Estimated in the air
10h 54m
block time
Furthest from equator
58.9°N
at 41% along
One lap of Earth
20.9%
of 40,075 km

Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 75th longest.

The Seattle to Seoul route drawn as a great circle arc on a globe

What the aircraft actually flies over

From Seattle the path crosses Canada, then 1,737 km of open water, then the United States, then 2,428 km of open water, then Russia, then 942 km of open water, then Russia, then 607 km of open water, then South Korea.

The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 58.9°N, 41% of the way along.

Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 9,162 km. That is 789 km further, about 9% more, and roughly 59m of extra flying.

Leaving Seattle the aircraft points north-west (310°); it arrives into Seoul heading south-west (221°). That is 89° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.

From

SEA

Seattle–Tacoma

Seattle, United States · North America

47.4°N, 122.3°W

To

ICN

Incheon

Seoul, South Korea · Asia

37.5°N, 126.5°E

Seattle to Seoul, asked and answered

How far is Seattle to Seoul?
Seattle to Seoul (SEA to ICN) is 8,373 km, or 5,203 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
How long is the flight from Seattle to Seoul?
About 10h 54m 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 Seattle to Seoul flight take?
The great circle passes over Canada, then 1,737 km of open water, then the United States, then 2,428 km of open water, then Russia, then 942 km of open water, then Russia, then 607 km of open water, then South Korea. It reaches 58.9°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.

Why the shortest path is a curve →

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