Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, behind New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris, and London, and hosts more than half of South Korea's population.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
4winter
cold to freezing and dry; openmeteo mean −3.5 to −0.7 °C (Wikipedia January high 2.1 / low −5.5 °C); ~24.9 snow days annually; occasionally below −15 °C; the driest months (Jan-Feb 0.7-1.0 mm/day)
- the harsh winter — life retreats into the underground shopping concourses and the jjimjilbang (Korean sauna) culture; the Han River parks thin out
- the Lunar New Year (Seollal) civic moment; the lowest tourist density outside the holidays
spring
rapid warming; openmeteo mean 3.7-15.6 °C; relatively dry; the cherry-blossom window
- the cherry-blossom season around the palaces and the Yeouido Hangang Park; the comfortable walking window for the Fortress Wall and Bukchon
- the start of the outdoor festival calendar
summer
hot and very humid; openmeteo mean 20.6-24.9 °C (Wikipedia August high 30.0 °C, heat index >40 °C); the East Asian monsoon Jun-Jul (Jul wettest 10.5 mm/day), then oppressive August heat; typhoons possible Jul-Sep
- the monsoon (Jun-Jul) and the typhoon risk; life shifts after dark and into air-conditioning
- the summer festival cluster and the Han River riverside-park night life at its peak
autumn
cooling and drier; openmeteo mean 6.4-20.3 °C; relatively dry (Oct-Nov 1.8-2.0 mm/day); the clear-air window and the autumn foliage
- the clear mild autumn — Seoul Citizens' Day (October) and the Seoul Street Art Festival; the foliage around the palaces and Namsan
- the tail of typhoon season (early autumn)
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
1988 Summer Olympics
- Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
- Seoul Olympic Park (Songpa) — now the city's largest park
2002 Fifa World Cup
- Seoul World Cup Stadium hosted the opening ceremony and first game of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
Seoul Citizens Day
- Seoul Citizens' Day — commemorating 600 years of Seoul as the capital
- the Seoul Street Art Festival (held four times a year since 2003)
On the record
source-trackedSeoul has a humid continental (Köppen: Dwa) or humid subtropical climate (Cwa), influenced by the monsoons; there is great variation in temperature and precipitation throughout the year.
Summers are hot and humid, with the East Asian monsoon taking place from June until July and typhoons taking place any time between July and September. August, the hottest month, has average high and low temperatures of 30.0 and 22.9 °C. Heat index values can surpass 40 °C at the height of summer.
Winters are usually cold to freezing with average January high and low temperatures of 2.1 and −5.5 °C, and are generally much drier than summers, with an average of 24.9 days of snow annually.
The Joseon dynasty built the 'Five Grand Palaces' in Seoul—Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeongbokgung and Gyeonghuigung.
Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs from west to east through the valley before emptying into the Han River, was for many years covered with concrete, but was recently restored by an urban revival project in 2005.
With more than 8 million passengers per day, the subway is one of the busiest subway systems in the world and the largest in the world, with a total track length of 940 km.
15 Fortune Global 500 companies, including Samsung, LG, and Hyundai, are headquartered in the Seoul Capital Area.
Seoul proper is noted for its population density, which is almost twice that of New York City and eight times greater than Rome.
According to the 2016 WHO Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database, the annual average PM2.5 concentration in 2014 was 24 micrograms per cubic meter, 2.4 times higher than that recommended by the WHO.
Seoul hosted the 1986 Asian Games, 1988 Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games. It also served as one of the host cities of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Apgujeongdong and Cheongdamdong earn the distinction of being perhaps the richest neighborhoods in all of Korea.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.