Enjoying Korea’s Four Seasons: How Everyday Life Changes with Each Season

Translated from the Korean original.

One of the joys of living in Korea is being able to feel four distinct seasons with your whole body. Cherry blossoms in spring, the monsoon rains and sweltering heat in summer, colorful foliage in autumn, and snow in winter — every season reveals a completely different world. I have been living in Korea for seven years now, and my heart still races whenever the season turns. Even walking through the same neighborhood, the scenery in spring and in winter is utterly different.

I dare say spring is the most beautiful season in Korea. From late March through mid-April the whole country turns pink with cherry blossoms, and Yunjung-ro on Yeouido, Seokchon Lake, and the Jinhae Gunhangje (Naval Port Festival) draw millions of visitors every year. The temperature sits between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius — truly perfect weather. In spring, though, there are many days with heavy fine dust and yellow dust, so a mask and an air purifier are essential. Even so, the spring sunshine on a clear day makes you forget everything.

Summer is honestly the hardest season in Korea. The monsoon season starts in late June and lasts two to three weeks, and once it ends, a steam-bath heat hovering above 35 degrees Celsius is waiting. Humidity is high, so on some days the apparent temperature approaches 40 degrees. But there is plenty that only summer lets you enjoy. Beaches, water parks, and splashing around in mountain valleys are summer privileges, and the happiness of one bowl of cold patbingsu (shaved ice with red beans) is really something.

Autumn is personally my favorite season. The foliage that slowly turns color from late September through November makes Korea’s mountains and streets look like a watercolor painting. The autumn leaves of Bukhansan, Seoraksan, and Naejangsan never get old no matter how many years I visit. The temperature of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius is the best for outdoor activities, and the sky is so high and blue that the old phrase ‘the season when the sky is high and horses grow fat’ fits perfectly. If you take a walk up to Namsan Tower on an autumn weekend, you can see all of Seoul dyed in red and yellow leaves.

Winter in Korea is cold, but just as charming. From December to February there are many days when the temperature drops below minus 10 degrees Celsius, yet thanks to the ondol underfloor heating system, the inside of a home is always warm. Seoul on a snowy day creates a truly fairy-tale scene, and ski slopes and sledding hills are the highlight of winter leisure. Bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastries), hotteok (sweet filled pancakes), and roasted chestnuts eaten on the street are small joys you can feel only in winter.

Another pleasure of life in Korea is that the food you eat changes with the season. In spring, naengi-doenjang-guk (shepherd’s purse soybean paste soup) and ssuktteok (mugwort rice cake); in summer, kongguksu (chilled soybean noodle soup) and naengmyeon (cold noodles); in autumn, grilled jeoneo (gizzard shad) and shrimp; in winter, roasted sweet potatoes and eomuk-tang (fish cake soup) are loved as seasonal dishes. Just seeing the seasonal fruit section change when you go to the supermarket makes you feel the turn of the season. Summer watermelon, autumn pears and persimmons, and winter tangerines are the seasonal must-have fruits for Koreans.

Korea’s four seasons are not a simple change in climate but a special experience that transforms culture and daily life from the ground up. You change your clothes, change your food, and change the activities you enjoy with every season, so a year is never boring. If you come to Korea, I recommend experiencing all four seasons. The feeling each season gives you is something you can never know without living through that season yourself.