International Multimodal Transport Route Development from Korea to Mongolia

This study aimed to identify new routes for transporting automobiles from Korea to Mongolia by comparing them with the existing route. At present, a route from the Incheon Port through the Tianjin Port to Zamiin-Uud is commonly used to transport containerized cargo from Korea to Mongolia. This study examined five possible logistics routes from Korea to Mongolia using a time/cost-distance methodology based on real data. Through consecutive discussions with importers and freight forwarders in Mongolia, the potential routes were selected and costs, distance, and lead time were evaluated to provide additional route options for automobile logistics from Korea to Mongolia. The results indicated that each route could be ranked in terms of the total cost while the lead time for all options in the present COVID-19 period is 2 - 4 months, with no difference among the routes. In addition, although the confidence index of all routes was not impressive, route 3 was the most preferred option, followed by route 1. However, the study results cannot provide the answer to the question of "which route is more attractive for transporting automobiles from Korea to Mongolia." This limitation notwithstanding, this study provides real information on the critical factors of distance, cost, and lead time in terms of the selected transportation routes so that importers and exporters can compare the routes in terms of the priority of each factor in uncertain logistics environment.