South Korea Weather Forecast

South Korea experiences a humid continental to subtropical climate with four sharply defined seasons. The East Asian monsoon dominates the weather calendar, bringing a distinct rainy season (jangma) from late June through late July when the country receives more than half its annual rainfall. This concentrated wet season can cause severe flooding and landslides, particularly in the mountainous eastern and central regions.

Winters are cold and dry, driven by the Siberian High that sends frigid continental air across the Korean Peninsula. Seoul regularly drops below -10°C in January, and strong northwesterly winds add a bitter wind chill. Spring brings fine yellow dust (hwangsa) blown from the deserts of China and Mongolia, a significant air quality concern. Summer is hot and humid with temperatures exceeding 35°C during heat waves that have become more frequent and intense.

Seoul has extreme seasonal contrasts, with cold winters averaging -4°C and hot, humid summers around 25°C. Busan on the south coast is milder in winter thanks to maritime influences and receives less rainfall than western areas. Jeju Island off the southern coast has a warmer, more subtropical climate. The mountainous Gangwon province in the northeast receives the heaviest snowfall, hosting the ski resorts that were used for the 2018 Winter Olympics.