What to Wear in Seoul
South Korea · 9 monthly packing guides
Seoul moves block to block in style codes the way Tokyo does — Hannam-dong is quiet luxury and minimalist tailoring, Seongsu is industrial-creative streetwear, Gangnam reads polished K-fashion magazine, Hongdae is loud youth culture. Summer is two distinct seasons inside one calendar: late-June through mid-July is *Jangma* (장마), the Korean monsoon rainy season with 13+ rain days and 414mm of rainfall, and August is humid 30°C / 86°F+ heat with sudden afternoon downpours. AC inside cafés and subways runs aggressive (16-18°C / 61-64°F; a thin layer in the bag is a Seoul daily essential. Korean style favors precision — clean color blocking, structured tailoring, sneakers selected with care — over casual ease.
Choose your month below to match your layers and shoes to the weather. Across the months covered, average daily lows reach -6°C / 21°F in January; average highs reach 30°C / 86°F in August.
Compare Seoul by month
Monthly averages help compare packing needs; check the forecast before departure. Only months with published guides are listed. See the source notes below for station and measurement differences. Scroll across the table to see all weather details on a small screen.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January packing guide | -6°C / 21°F | 2°C / 36°F | 4 | 9h 50m |
| February packing guide | -4°C / 25°F | 5°C / 41°F | 4 | 10h 47m |
| May packing guide | 14°C / 57°F | 24°C / 75°F | 7 | 14h |
| June packing guide | 19°C / 66°F | 28°C / 82°F | 8 | 14h 40m |
| July packing guide | 22°C / 72°F | 29°C / 84°F | 13 | 14h 25m |
| August packing guide | 23°C / 73°F | 30°C / 86°F | 12 | 13h 30m |
| October packing guide | 11°C / 52°F | 20°C / 68°F | 6 | 11h 20m |
| November packing guide | 3°C / 37°F | 12°C / 54°F | 8 | 10h 10m |
| December packing guide | -4°C / 25°F | 4°C / 39°F | 6 | 9h 35m |
Choose your Seoul packing list
Seoul in January: 2°C / 36°F afternoons, −6°C / 21°F nights, frost on 29 of 31 nights and no mild week to wait for.
In this capsule: Ivory mid-calf down coat, stand collar; Charcoal merino long-sleeve base layer; Ivory heavy-gauge wool crew.
Seoul in February: 5°C / 41°F afternoons, −4°C / 25°F nights, Seollal on 7 February and a thaw that waits for the last ten days.
In this capsule: Grey-blue collarless wool coat, below the knee; Slate merino base layer; Mauve fine-rib turtleneck.
Seoul in May is pre-Jangma — 24°C / 75°F dry afternoons, 14°C / 57°F mornings, the last comfort window before the late-June monsoon arrives.
In this capsule: Tucked white or cream tee + tailored trousers; Light jacket — denim, cropped blazer, or trench; Wide-leg or straight-cut tailored trousers.
Seoul in June is pre-Jangma humid — 28°C / 82°F, 60-70% humidity rising, 8 rain days. Late June is when the Korean monsoon (Jangma) traditionally arrives.
In this capsule: Lightweight cotton or linen tee + tailored trousers; Wide-leg cotton or linen trousers — cream, oat, navy; Cropped blazer or unstructured linen shirt.
Seoul in July is peak Jangma — 13 rain days, 414mm of rainfall, 29°C / 84°F with 80%+ humidity. The wettest month of the year. Locals adapt; tourists who don't struggle.
In this capsule: Quick-dry cotton or linen tee + tank; Lightweight linen or cotton trousers — cream, oat, navy; Oversized cotton shirt or folded packable rain-shell.
Seoul in August is post-Jangma humid heat — 30°C / 86°F afternoons, 23°C / 73°F mornings, 12 rain days but mostly isolated afternoon thunderstorms rather than sustained Jangma rain.
In this capsule: Quick-dry cotton tee or tank; Lightweight linen or cotton trousers — cream, oat, navy, charcoal; Cropped linen blazer or oversized cotton shirt.
Seoul in October: 20°C / 68°F afternoons, 11°C / 52°F mornings, 6 rain days — the rain stops and the trench comes out.
In this capsule: Stone trench coat, double-breasted, belted; Heather-grey crew knit, raglan, cropped; Black ribbed turtleneck.
Seoul in November: 12°C / 54°F afternoons, 3°C / 37°F nights, about 8 rain days, and the steepest drop of the year.
In this capsule: Camel wool coat, hip length; Thin black down liner jacket, collarless; Cream fine-rib wool turtleneck.
Seoul in December: 4°C / 39°F afternoons, −4°C / 25°F nights, frost on about 25 nights and only about 6 wet days.
In this capsule: Black knee-length down coat with a hood; Heather grey chunky rib turtleneck; Black wide-leg trousers.
Climate sources by month
These credits follow the source recorded on each monthly guide. Climate figures inform the packing advice; outfit combinations and illustrations are editorial suggestions.
- January: NOAA NCEI · Seoul (KMA 108) · 1991–2020 normalsthe Korea Meteorological Administration operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its global-summary-of-the-day record (47108099999, 30 Januaries). Wet days are counted at 1 mm or more, as on the November and December pages; NOAA's daily rain record for this station is incomplete (a day with no report is written as 0.00), so the count is indicative and no rain total is quoted. Recorded per month because Seoul's earlier pages cite KMA's own normals.
- February: NOAA NCEI · Seoul (KMA 108) · 1991–2020 normalsthe Korea Meteorological Administration operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its global-summary-of-the-day record (47108099999, 30 Februaries). Wet days are counted at 1 mm or more, as on the November to January pages; NOAA's daily rain record for this station is incomplete (a day with no report is written as 0.00), so the count is indicative and no rain total is quoted. Recorded per month because Seoul's earlier pages cite KMA's own normals.
- May: Korea Meteorological Administration · 1991–2020 normals
- June: Korea Meteorological Administration · 1991–2020 normals
- July: Korea Meteorological Administration · 1991–2020 normals
- August: Korea Meteorological Administration · 1991–2020 normals
- October: Korea Meteorological Administration · Seoul (KMA 108) · 1991–2020 normalsKMA's published 1991–2020 normals for temperature and rainfall. The wet-day count is computed from NOAA NCEI's global-summary-of-the-day record for the same station (47108099999, 30 Octobers), which reproduces KMA's temperatures within 0.7°C; KMA states rain days at a different threshold.
- November: NOAA NCEI · Seoul (KMA 108) · 1991–2020 normalsthe Korea Meteorological Administration operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its global-summary-of-the-day record (47108099999, 30 Novembers). Recorded per month because Seoul's earlier pages cite KMA's own normals.
- December: NOAA NCEI · Seoul (KMA 108) · 1991–2020 normalsthe Korea Meteorological Administration operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its global-summary-of-the-day record (47108099999, 30 Decembers). Recorded per month because Seoul's earlier pages cite KMA's own normals.
Frequently asked questions
Start with your travel month. The 9 published guides cover January, February, May, June, July, August, October, November, December. Compare the average low as well as the high: among these months, January has the lowest average low at -6°C / 21°F, while August has the highest average high at 30°C / 86°F. For a trip spanning two months, read both lists before deciding which layers to bring.
No. They are monthly climate averages for planning, not temperatures promised for a particular day or hour. Check the local forecast close to departure and adjust your layers and rain protection. The source, station and averaging period are listed for each month where recorded; different stations or rain-day definitions can affect comparisons.
No. Treat the capsule as a set of clothing functions: walking shoes, a base outfit, weather protection and any change for dinner or a venue's dress code. Start with equivalents you own. Adjust quantities to your trip length and laundry access; the illustrations are outfit suggestions, not a shopping requirement.