The Toon lost after Kim Jin-gyu struck superbly for the hosts midway through the first-half.
Afterwards, Howe said: "It was a really good test for us. Very tough conditions.
"We are disappointed to lose because after the second half performance, I thought we should have got something out of the game.
"The K-League's fitness levels are mid-season and you could tell they had that sharpness and experience of playing in this heat.
"The first half we started well and then faded in terms of our attacking intent. You want tough games and we will have got a load out of it physically which is what pre-season is for.
"We want to win and score goals but the most important thing is the Aston Villa game."
On Joe Willock being forced off after a 50-50 tackle, Howe is confident the knock isn't serious.
He added, "I don't have a major update yet but it didn't look great on the pitch.
"But at this moment, it doesn't look like a major, major injury. Fingers crossed it's not, because Joe has suffered enough. Hopefully he's OK."