Winter in South Korea 2024-2025

Korean winter is praised for great skiing opportunities, scenic mountain hikes, as well as a range of winter festivals that offer plenty of fun on the snow and ice.

First snowfalls occur in the mountains already in early December. The coldest month is typically January. Generally, the weather in winter is cold and dry thanks to Siberian winds. The average temperatures fluctuate from -6 to 3 °C.

There's one special feature about winter in Korea: the weather constantly changes in a 7-day cycle—three days of colder temperatures followed by four days of warmer temperatures. This reoccurs, again and again, owing to rising and falling continental pressure. This is locally called the "Samhansaon phenomenon." Recent world climate changes may influence the cycle, yet so far it has been rather helpful for predicting the weather.