Visiting Korea in January | Weather, What to Wear + Best Festivals [2023]

Most of the sparkly Christmas vibes of Korea in December have faded away, but Korea in January begins with one of the most meaningful sunrises of the year. Sure, January might be the coldest and snowiest of months in South Korea, but it’s still packed with unique festivals and winter sports galore.

Expect sub zero temps and snow in Korea in January – and yes, this is Korea, not Switzerland.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• what the January weather in Korea is like
• the Seoul weather in January and other major cities and tourist hotspots, including Busan, Jeju, Pyeongchang and Gangwon-do
• the best winter festivals to attend in Korea in January
• what to wear and the best things to pack for a successful trip to South Korea in January

Visiting Korea in January

We still have relatively high tourist numbers for the first few weeks of January in Korea, as winter vacations around the world spill over into the new year. Things start to calm down a little from there, with the quietest tourist months of the year to come in February and up to mid-March.

Christmas vacations tend to spill over into January in Korea.

If you can bear the sub-zero temperatures, mid-January or later is a great time to plan a trip to South Korea if you’re seeking a slightly less frantic travel experience.

Normally, I’d say it’s easier to book good value accommodation in popular neighbourhoods like Myeongdong and Hongdae in Korea in January, but there seems to be a major shortage of hotel rooms in Seoul these days. I advise you to book rooms as early as you can – particularly if you’re on a budget or looking for family rooms in the centre of Seoul.

It’s cold, but beautiful in Korea in January © Park Hae-jun, Korea Tourism Organization

READ NEXT: From Myeongdong to Gangnam: The 7 Best Areas in Seoul for Travelers to Stay + Hotel Recommendations (from a 12 year expat)

Korea in January | Weather

January in South Korea is the depth of winter. This is the coldest month of the year, with average temperatures ranging from -6°C | 21°F to 1.5°C | 35°F.

January is the coldest month of the year in South Korea.

Keep in mind that the temperatures you see in January are a bit misleading. It feels a LOT colder than the number would suggest, with a cold that sets into your bones, and freezing winds blowing in from Siberia.

It’s important to invest in the right gear to survive the Korea weather in January, or you’ll struggle while exploring the great outdoors.

Invest in the right winter gear, and you’ll be ok © Ryu Sang-hoon, Korea Tourism Organization

The good news though, is that January in Korea also happens to be the month with the most snowfall. It’s the perfect time to head out to ski resorts, sledding hills, and any winter festivals that might have caught your attention.

READ NEXT: Winter in Korea | 27 Incredible Snowy Things to Do and See

Korea in January | Seoul Weather

It’s freezing cold in Seoul in January, with average temperatures ranging from -6°C | 21°F to 1.5°C | 35°F. It can get a lot colder at night though, with the mercury falling as low as -12°C.

There are around 5 days of snowfall in January, but it generally doesn’t stick around in the city, and only accumulates to around 30-mm | 1 inch over the whole month. Head to surrounding mountains, like Bukhansan, for a better chance of seeing a blanket of snow in Seoul.

Head to higher ground for a better chance of seeing snow in Korea in January © Nam Kimoon, Korea Tourism Organization

* Personal note: I’ve lived in Seoul for the last 12 years, and I can’t remember a winter that’s been quite so cold or snowy before. It already snowed multiple times in December, and been so cold, that the Han River has already frozen over. Prepare serious winter gear if you’re headed to Korea in January.

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Korea Weather in January | Busan

While Busan is warmer than other parts of Korea in January, it’s still the city’s coldest month. Average temperatures range from 1°C | 34°F to 6°C | 43°F. There’s practically zero chance of snowfall in Busan, but you can expect about 5 days of rain, totalling 14-mm.

Busan Polar Bear swim in winter © Busan Metropolitan city (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Unless you’re one of the crazy Busan Polar Bears, it’s definitely not recommended to go swimming in Busan in January. The sea temperatures sits at a dangerous 15°C | 59°F. Head to the Busan SEA LIFE Aquarium instead to meet over 250 marine species, see a mermaid show, and play in their snowy playground.

Korea Weather in January | Pyeongchang (Gangwon-do)

The Korea weather in January in Gangwon-do Province is typically quite a bit cooler than in the interior. Pyeongchang in January has average temperatures ranging from a high of -3°C | 28°F to a low of -13°C | 9°F.

Pyeongchang turns into a winter wonderland in January © Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (CC BY-SA 2.0)

In my experience. it’ll feel a lot colder than that, especially if it’s windy, so be prepared with some super heavy-duty winter gear.

This region has quite a bit of snowfall, with approximately 5-cm of snow per week in January. It can be quite windy though, with wind speeds greater than 30-km per hour.

January is one of the best months to go skiing in Korea.

Korea Weather in January | Jeju Island

Like the rest of Korea, January is the coldest month for Jeju Island, with temperatures ranging from 3°C | 38°F to 8°C | 47°F.

There’s approximately 13 days of rain, totalling about 65-mm of precipitation. Despite the positive temperatures, Jeju does experience snowfall –  especially at the peak of Hallasan and in other higher altitude regions.

Count on snow at the top of Hallasan on Jeju Island © kangbch

If you’re visiting Jeju in January, be prepared for potential flight delays and cancellations, due to difficult weather conditions.

Limited Edition Winter Tours in Korea

Don’t let the cold stop you from getting out and taking advantage of these special winter events and activities. They’re only available for a limited time, for 2 or 3 months of the year in Korea.

January is an excellent month for sledding and skiing ⓒ KTO Lee Beomsu

• Elysian Ski Resort + Nami Island + the Garden of Morning Calm Lighting Festival | December 9th, 2022 – March 3rd, 2023
• Alpaca World + Garden of Morning Calm Lighting Festival | December 9th, 2022 – March 15th, 2023
• Garden of Morning Calm Lighting Festival, Snowy Land + Strawberry Picking | December 20th, 2022 – February 28th, 2023
• Vivaldi Park Snowy Land Sledding Tour | December 20th, 2022 – February 28th, 2023
• Eobi Ice Valley, Nami Island, and Strawberry Picking  | December 21st, 2022 – January 30th, 2023
• Cheongyang Alps Village Ice Fountain Festival | December 26th, 2022 – February 10th, 2023
• Ice Fishing and Snowflake Tour in Gangwondo | January 1st – February 12th, 2023
• Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Fishing Festival Tour from Seoul | January 14th – 24th, 2023
• Skiing, Snowboarding, and Sledding Tours across Korea | Various dates

The Garden of Morning Calm Lighting Festival is one of Korea’s best winter festivals.

READ NEXT: How to Visit the Brilliant Garden of Morning Calm Lighting Festival in Winter

Korea in January | Public Holidays 2023

One of the country’s most important national public holidays happens in Korea in January. Seollal or Lunar New Year stretches from Saturday, January 21st to Tuesday, January 24th. At this time, there’s a mass exodus into and out of Seoul, as people visit their hometowns around the country.

It’s traditional to eat tteokguk for luck and health on Seollal © Jeon Han, Korea.net (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

These are days off for most Koreans, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have trouble finding things to do. Most tourist sites and restaurants will be open to the public, and a number of special events will happen to mark Seollal.

Book hotels early if you plan to travel around public holidays in Korea in January.

If you’re planning to travel around South Korea near these dates, it’s very important that you book accommodation as far in advance as possible. With 25 million people potentially traveling in and out of Seoul at the exact same time, trains, buses and the best hotels in the best neighbourhoods get booked up fast.

Korea in January | Best Festivals and Events

As the month with the most snow and coldest weather, January in South Korea is a reliable time to have winter festivals that rely on sub-zero temperatures. From sunrise to snow sledding to ice fountain festivals, you’re sure to find something that strikes your fancy.

Winter festivals abound in Korea in January © Kim Jiho, Korea Tourism Organization

To see weather and festivals for other months in Korea, check out the following guides:

• Korea in April: Chasing Cherry Blossoms
• Korea in May: In Full Bloom
• Korea in June: The Best Month of Summer
• Korea in July: The Peak of Summer
• Korea in August: Summer Vacation for EVERYONE!
• Korea in September: Autumn Relief
• Korea in October: Full on Fall Foliage
• Korea in November: Autumn to Winter Transition
• Korea in December: Christmas Lights Galore

Sunrise Festivals in Korea

Festival dates: December 31st, 2022  – January 1st, 2023

Address: Various locations

January in Korea begins with a number of sunrise festivals across the country. These are held to celebrate the dawn of a new year, with wishes made while watching the first, most powerful (to Koreans) sunrise of the year.

There are a number of sunrise festivals in Korea in January © Kim Jiho, Korea Tourism Organization

I’ve written about a number of these sunrise festivals in this guide to New Year’s Eve in Seoul, but here’s a few tours to look into if this is how you’d like to start a new year.

• From Seoul | Countdown at DDP + Jeongdongjin Beach Sunrise
• From Busan | Countdown at Busan Tower + Gamcheon Culture Village + Sunrise at Homigot Village

Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival | 칠갑산얼음분수축제

Festival dates: December 26th, 2022  – February 10th, 2023

Address: 175-11, Cheonjangho-gil, Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do | 충청남도 청양군 정산면 천장호길 175-11

January in South Korea is probably the best month to go to the Alps Village Ice Fountain Festival near Cheongyang. It’s so cold at this time, that none of the fantastical ice sculptures will be anywhere close to melting.

Let it gooo! Let it gooo! Elsa Forever.

You can also try out snow sledding, ice fishing, bobsleigh, ice sledding, a zip line, and delicious winter foods like fire-roasted sweet potato.

Haeundae Lighting Festival | 해운대 빛축제

Festival dates: until January 24th, 2023

Address: 264, Haeundaehaebyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea

Try searching out some fresh oysters in Busan in January (they’re in season).

Taking place in Korea in January for the 9th time, the Haeundae Lighting Festival features various lighting works. Don’t miss a large scale installation that looks just like the waves on Haeundae Beach.

Yeongdong Dried Persimmon Festival | 영동곶감축제

Festival dates: January 6th – 8th, 2023

Address: 1, Yeongdongcheon 2-gil, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do | 충청북도 영동군 영동읍 영동천2길 1

Persimmons can be eaten year round, but during winter in Korea, the dried version is considered the most delicious. At the Yeongdong Dried Persimmon Festival, sample sweet, chewy, and nutritious “gotgam,” grown right in the area.

Dried persimmon are delicious in winter.

You can also listen to traditional music, see how gotgam are made, and shop at the traditional market, while at the festival.

Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival | 얼음나라 화천산천어축제

Festival dates: January 14th – 24th, 2023

Address: 137, Sancheoneo-gil, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-do | 강원도 화천군 화천읍 산천어길 137

Every January in Korea, Hwacheon is one of the first places to freeze over in winter. Hwacheon Stream becomes a thick sheet of ice perfect for fishing, skating, hockey, bobsledding and other cold-weather sports. If you’re brave enough, you can even try bare-handed fishing in the icy water.

The prime catch at the  Hwacheon Ice Festival is the Sancheoneo fish. Full of vitamins, amino and fatty acids, it only survives in super clean, super cold water.

This festival site is close to Yongpyong and Alpensia ski resorts, so it would be easy to spend a day skiing and also visit the Ice Fishing Festival at the same time, if you’ve got your own transport.

Pyeongchang Trout Festival | 평창송어축제

Festival Dates: December 30th, 2022 – January 29th, 2023

Address: 3562, Gyeonggang-ro, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do | 강원도 평창군 진부면 경강로 3562

If the limited dates of the Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival don’t work for you, don’t stress – former winter Olympics site, Pyeongchang in Gangwon-do also has a popular trout and ice fishing festival that lasts for nearly the entire month of January in Korea.