Business the play 45,000 pts Korean Air nonstop (SkyTeam), Prestige, off-peak award
45,000 Prestige off-peak (67,500 peak) — the cheapest published flat bed on this corridor, on a chart Korean has kept while Delta and United went dynamic. The catch is the toll road: Accor 2:1 means ~90,000 Accor points, IHG 5:1 means 225,000. Price your chain before you crown this the winner.
Feed it: 90,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 1,80,000 HDFC Reward Points (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 1,80,000 SBI Travel Credits (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))
Singapore Airlines via SIN (one stop), Saver
Zone 6→7 Saver, same rate as Tokyo: 60,000 miles for two SQ business legs through Changi. A third more than Korean's off-peak Prestige — but direct-fed and bookable, versus a chart you can only reach through Accor or IHG at chain rates. The detour adds ~4 hours.
Feed it: 60,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 30,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 1,20,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)
Air India metal (Star Alliance partner award)
DEL–ICN's 2,891 great-circle miles clear the 2,500-mile line, so the June-2026 chart wants 75,000 in business on Air India metal — the same band cliff that punishes Mumbai to Hong Kong. Two-thirds more than Korean's own off-peak Prestige. Exists because Aeroplan is reachable at 1:1 from SBI and 1:2 from Atlas; a fallback, not a plan.
Feed it: 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 75,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,87,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Economy the play 30,000 pts Air India nonstop (Star Alliance), Value tier
Seoul is named on the April-2026 chart's flat 30,000-point East Asia economy tier. 5,000 more than Korean's off-peak rate — but direct-fed from Air India's own cards and immune to the peak calendar. The East Asia business tier still isn't published route-level; we list what we can verify.
Feed it: 30,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 15,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 30,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
Korean Air nonstop (SkyTeam), off-peak award
Korea ⇄ Southwest Asia one-way on KE metal: 25,000 off-peak, 37,500 peak — and Korean's peak calendar now swallows roughly 40% of the year, so check the season table before you count on the low number. No Indian card feeds SKYPASS; Accor 2:1 or IHG 5:1 are the only ways in. Consolation: miles live a full 10 years.
Feed it: 50,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 1,00,000 HDFC Reward Points (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 1,00,000 SBI Travel Credits (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))
Singapore Airlines via SIN (one stop), Saver
Seoul shares Zone 7 ("Japan & South Korea") with Tokyo on the Nov-2025 chart, so India→Seoul prices exactly like India→Tokyo: 35,000 Saver in economy. 10,000 more than Korean's off-peak nonstop, plus a Changi detour — but mintable from four Indian issuers without touching a hotel program.
Feed it: 35,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 17,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 70,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)