World’s First: New Oneworld Lounge Seoul Review (ICN)

Airport lounges come in various forms: airline-specific, First & Business Class, third-party contract lounges, and credit card branded spaces like Amex, Chase, or Capital One. The latter cater to a broader market, attracting economy passengers looking to upgrade their airport experience.

Less common are airline alliance branded lounges. Currently, there are six Star Alliance lounges in cities like Paris, LAX, Nagoya, and Buenos Aires, along with two in Brazil’s main hubs. SkyTeam also boasts five such lounges from Dubai to Santiago and Sydney.

Oneworld was an outlier until the recent opening of the very first Oneworld Lounge in Seoul Incheon in March 2024. I happened to visit during my trip to South Korea. What can you expect from it? Let’s dive in!

Location & Access

The Oneworld Lounge Seoul Incheon is located on Terminal 1. ICN has multiple security entry points depending on your flight departure gates.

I entered through security gates 4 and was able to get to the lounge within 10 minutes after clearing through.

The are sign posts for the lounge and gate 28, which it is near and then you have to get the escalator up to level 4, where you will see the KAL Lounge on first landing..

when you turn back on yourself, you have the lounge right there

Access Rules

Standard oneworld lounge access applies here, so you are welcome if flying a oneworld First/Business or hold Sapphire or Emerald statues and flying Economy with any of these carriers.

See full oneworld Lounge access policy.

I’m not sure if this is the airport or airlines doing this however, if you are departing from ICN, you can neither check-in or clear security until you are within 3 hours of your flight departure.

Taking into account then actually getting past security & being at your gate at least 20 minutes prior departure, this theoretically then imposes an affective maximum use of 2 hours 30 minutes or so?!

As you enter you will be greeted by curved glass panelling, creating a modern yet arty vibe. 2 friendly receptionists were available to checked me in.

I was handed a little card with Wifi code and a little reminder of the oneworld partnership that this year turned 25!

Oneworld Lounge Seoul Review

One of the focal design features of the lounge is the central bar positioned under what represents a traditional Korean Gat hat..

Different curved themes then follow inside, with some circular seating areas resembling a bird cage? Or is this supposed to be something else?

There are single seaters lined alongside the window looking out but also many single loungers positioned inwards where you can sit across from travel partners or family..

There are also spaces where you face wall art should you fancy a little more privacy or at least not be facing others directly..

There are also several dedicated work spaces with full privacy doors should you actually need to do some work or take a call..

Right inside the far end of the lounge there are more numerous private seating spaces that would also be suitable for working. There were several people there so I could not take any pictures without capturing them.

Aside the seating zones, the buffet area can be found at the middle of the lounge

There are then several stool type seating areas surrounding that space where you could eat..

More dining tables are available further in, including a more formal table setting..

I liked that even the flight display screen was turned into a feature here !

Oneworld Lounge ICN Food & Drinks

There are various snacks and treats in the lounge with self help refreshments consisting of fresh juices, canned sodas etc

They provided a good range of fresh breads and salad options..

Then a number of full hot items are also available in the buffet..

First up, we have a Mie Goreng noodle dish with pork, pan fried sole with lemon butter sauce..

Then they had some chicken wings and lasagne..

Then there was a chicken tikka masala option…

This being South Korea, you could also make your own Bibimbap!

Finally there were a couple of soup options here too..

As for alcoholic beverages, these were the selections for self serve section..

but off-course there is also the dedicated bar where the barman would be more than happy to whip up your favourite drink !

Restroom & Showers in Oneworld Seoul Lounge

The lounge has some rather plush and well designed restrooms, separating male and female rooms.

There are also 2 full shower rooms. You need to book this via the reception and it’s allocated on first come first serve bases. I had a 15 minute wait to shower before my long flight back to Europe.

Like the rest of the lounge, the shower room contains sleek glass screen and washbasins.

You will be handed a basket with fresh towels, hair dryer and keys ..

The shower itself had a large rain drop from top as well as hand held wash nozzle. You will find good amenities with high end shower gels, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion too.

Interestingly, they also decided to place a mirror right inside the shower itself!

I did indeed enjoy a nice shower before my flight

Overall Thoughts

This a great contemporary space with a subtle nod to South Korea and strong oneworld branding through it’s design touches.

One thing I did find rather surprising was the lounge did feel rather small, which is rather strange considering the number of airline that would use this space. During my time between 8pm-10.30pm the lounge was busy, but not excessive. It is generally expected to be quieter after 9pm, around which timeslot several flights depart.

This is no grand entry to an alliance wide lounge foray for sure. But it is a decent one nonetheless, with nice selection of furnishings and service levels.

While I chose not to drink at the bar, I found the catering to be excellent. Both the range of hot dishes on offer and quality were impressive ( I tried the chicken tikka, sole and the chicken wings and each on their own right would have made a good dinner with the right selection of salads and breads available ).

I’d consider it to be on par with the buffet selection of Qatar Premium lounges.

Talking of Qatar Airways, as of this moment, Qatar Business passengers customers are still directed to use the Asiana Business Lounge, while Malaysia Airlines still using the KAL lounge we saw earlier.