Korea in November 2026: Weather, First Snow, Suneung Day and What's On — Week by Week

Last updated: 8 October 2026. Weather normals are the Korea Meteorological Administration's (기상청, KMA) 1991–2020 climate normals; the November 2026 outlook is KMA's three-month forecast of 23 September 2026 and is labelled as a forecast. Sunrise and sunset times were calculated on 8 October 2026 with the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute's own sunrise model (한국천문연구원, KASI). Event dates and prices are from the official notices cited in the EpicKor guide linked beside each one, with the date of that check. Sources are listed at the end.

Korea in November is two countries a fortnight apart. In the first week, Seoul's palaces are still red and gold and the south's mountains are at their peak. By the last week, the official first snow is due, the high trails in 18 national parks are shut, and the sun sets at 17:14. Between those two weeks sit the dates that change a visitor's day: Busan's fireworks night, Pepero Day, Suneung Day, when Korea stops its planes for 35 minutes, and the start of kimjang, the winter kimchi-making season.

Korea has no public holiday in November, and hotel rates fall after the October peak. The month's useful facts are published separately, in Korean, by the weather agency, the exam board, the park service and the festival offices. This hub puts them in one place, dated, and links the EpicKor guide that covers each in full.

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Quick Guide: Korea in November 2026

The two numbers that catch visitors out are the evening and the cold snap. Seoul's November is mild on paper, an 11.9°C afternoon, but the night falls to about 3.5°C, the sun is down before half past five by mid-month, and KMA warns of sudden cold outbreaks. Pack for the morning, not the afternoon.

November weather in Korea: the official normals

Korea's weather agency publishes 30-year climate normals for every station. These are the November figures for 1991–2020 for the three places most visitors go. They describe an average November, not this one.

KMA station normals: Seoul (Songwol-dong, 108), Busan (159), Jeju City (184). First-snow normals from KMA's regional climate pages, as listed in our first-snow guide.

Seoul in November is a jacket month, not a padded-coat month; the knee-length 롱패딩 (long padding) is for December, when the average high is 4.2°C (padded coat guide). Busan and Jeju are about 5°C warmer by day, which is why the south's foliage peaks in mid-November, and Jeju is the wettest, with nearly ten wet days.

Last November, for comparison. KMA's monthly report for November 2025 put the national mean at 8.5°C, 0.9°C above the normal of 7.6°C, with only 4.9 wet days against a normal of 7.4 and 20.2 mm of rain, 42.5% of normal. It also showed how fast the month can turn: on 18–19 November most of the country fell below freezing, and parts of inland Gangwon and Gyeonggi dropped to between −10 and −5°C.

This November, as forecast. KMA's three-month outlook of 23 September 2026 gives November a 50% probability of above-normal temperature (normal range 7.0–8.2°C nationwide) and a 50% probability of above-normal precipitation (30.7–55.1 mm). The agency links the warmth to a strong El Niño and warns that low sea ice in the Barents–Kara Sea will let cold air break through at times. This is a forecast, not a record; KMA's next three-month outlook is due around 23 October, and a one-month outlook comes every Thursday.

Sunrise and sunset: 50 minutes less daylight

Calculated on 8 October 2026 with KASI's sunrise model at sea level, rounded to the minute; the same code reproduces KASI's published 1 January 2026 Seoul sunrise (07:47).

Plan the outdoor part of each day for before 16:30; a palace visit that starts at 15:30 in mid-November ends in dusk.

You might like: When Does It Snow in Korea? The Official First-Snow Dates by City

First snow: due in Seoul on 20 November, but often late

Korea's first snow is an official observation. In Seoul it is recorded at the KMA station in Songwol-dong, and it counts even if the flakes melt as they land. The normal date is 20 November in Seoul and Daejeon, 21 November in Incheon and Chuncheon, and 29 November in Gwangju. Daegu (5 December), Jeju City (10 December) and Busan (23 December) usually see their first snow only in December.

Recent winters show how far the date can move. Seoul's first snow came on 26 November 2024, then on 4 December 2025, 14 days after the normal. The 2024 one was no flurry: by 27 November Seoul had 16.5 cm on the ground, its heaviest November snow on record. Busan waited until 7 February 2026. If seeing snow is the point of your trip, November in Seoul is a coin toss. Hallasan on Jeju is the better bet: its upland snow came on 18 November in 2025. Our first-snow guide has every city's normal and last two winters' dates.

You might like: Korea Autumn Foliage 2026: The Forecast Peak Dates for Seoraksan, Seoul and Naejangsan

The end of autumn colour, and the trails that close on 15 November

The foliage season runs south from the mountains, and in 2026 the forecasters say it is 2 to 9 days late. The two private forecasters, K-Weather and WeatherEye, put Seoul and the central region's peak between 19 October and 5 November. The south, including Naejangsan (내장산) and Jirisan (지리산), peaks around 1–13 November. So in the first week of November you can still find colour in Seoul's palaces, and Naejangsan is the classic second-week trip.

Two rule changes then close the season:

• 15 November: wildfire closures. Every year from 15 November to 15 December, 18 national parks close their high trails for wildfire season. Last autumn that was 146 sections, 653.71 km, including every route to Seoraksan's summit, Daecheongbong, and the Jirisan ridge traverse. Entering a closed trail costs ₩200,000 the first time. The low valley walks mostly stay open. Our trail-closure guide lists which, and notes that the 2026 list had not been published when we checked.
• 15 November: the Seoraksan cable car's foliage season ends. The Seorak cable car charges ₩16,000 return and suspends its senior discount during foliage season (19 September–15 November 2026). Tickets are sold only on the day.

On Jeju, Hallasan is run by the province and is not on that closure list. Since 1 October the last entry to the summit trails is 11:30, and there are 1,500 summit places a day, booked in advance (Hallasan guide).

In Seoul, the palaces are the easy autumn plan. Every Wednesday is now free at Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo, under the Culture Day programme that reached those three palaces on 7 October (Wednesday palace guide). The government's Korea Grand Festival (29 October–15 November) also plans free entry to the four palaces. When we checked on 23 September, the free-entry dates had not been announced (Korea Grand Festival guide).

You might like: Korea Festival Calendar 2026–2027, Month by Month

The dated events of November 2026

These are the dates that change something for a visitor. Each is marked confirmed, a normal, or a pattern from past years.

Suneung Day, 19 November: the morning the country goes quiet

The College Scholastic Ability Test (대학수학능력시험, Suneung) is on Thursday 19 November 2026, with 551,864 candidates registered, according to the exam board KICE on 8 September. For a visitor it changes three things:

1. The morning starts at 10:00. Public offices, large companies and banks open an hour late so that the roads are clear for candidates; last year banks ran 10:00–17:00 and the stock market 10:00–16:30. Seoul added 29 subway runs, mostly between 06:00 and 10:00.
2. The sky closes for 35 minutes. During the English listening test, every takeoff in the country stops and landings are held. In 2025 that was 13:05–13:40 and moved 140 flights. The 2026 window is announced a few days before. If you fly that day, check your departure time.
3. The streets near schools fill twice. From 07:00 to 08:10, juniors cheer at the gates (doors close at 08:10), and from about 16:40 to 18:30 the candidates come out. That night, student districts such as Hongdae, Gangnam and Konkuk University are packed.

Our Suneung Day guide has an hour-by-hour plan for the day.

You might like: Kimjang Season in Korea 2026: What Kimchi-Making Costs and Where You Can Join

Pepero Day and kimjang: November's two food seasons

Pepero Day, 11 November, is the date written as four sticks, 11/11. Lotte Wellfood says around half of a year's Pepero sales come in the weeks around it. Every standard box was ₩2,000 at CU on 2 October, Pocky ₩2,200. The big multi-buy and 50% offers usually need a Korean card or app, so a visitor pays shelf price (Pepero Day guide). The same date is also Garaetteok Day (가래떡데이), the agriculture ministry's rice-cake counter-holiday.

Kimjang (김장), making a winter's worth of kimchi in one go, starts as soon as the cold arrives. It usually runs from mid-November into December, around the last week of November in Seoul and in December on the south coast.

The costs are published. In November 2025 the ingredients for a family kimjang cost ₩201,151 to ₩404,280, depending on which of three Korean price surveys you read and whether you shop at a market or a large mart. In 2026, a 20 kg box of pre-salted cabbage was on pre-order from ₩29,900 with a store card. For visitors, Museum Kimchikan in Insadong runs a 60-minute class for ₩40,000, and it uses napa cabbage only from November; June to October it is radish kimchi. Kimchi Day is 22 November. Our kimjang guide covers the dates by region and the rules for taking kimchi on a plane.

November 2026, week by week

What changes for visitors: crowds, prices, trains and bookings

Hotels get cheaper after the October peak. Korea publishes no official monthly hotel-rate series, but our Seoul hotel price guide treats November as shoulder season, falling from the October peak. Seoul hotels earned ₩207,000 per room in 2025 in Korea's own lodging statistics, and Friday and Saturday nights cost more than weeknights at the same hotel. A Sunday-to-Thursday stay is the cheapest calendar choice.

Cancellation rules are on your side in November. Korea's official refund table, the Fair Trade Commission's consumer dispute criteria, defines peak season as 15 July–24 August and 20 December–20 February, unless the property's own terms say otherwise. November is off-peak, so the default is a full deposit refund up to two days before the stay (cancellation guide). From 12 November, booking platforms must check a lodging's business registration before listing it.

Trains for December are on sale. Since 1 October Korean train tickets go on sale two months before departure at 07:00, so during November you are booking for January. Seoul–Busan by KTX is ₩54,400, about 2½ hours; Seoul–Gangneung by KTX-Eum is ₩26,000 from Cheongnyangni (getting around, Gangneung and Sokcho).

Long stays: heating is now your bill. If you rent a flat, November is when the heating goes on. Korean electricity is cheapest per kilowatt-hour in the first 200 kWh (₩120.0), and the winter tiers do not widen as they do in summer. Gas or district heating costs about ₩100–106 per kWh of heat against ₩258–362 for an electric heater (winter bills guide).

What to pack, and what November costs

A 3.5°C night and an 11.9°C day call for layers: a thin merino or thermal base, a sweater, and a windproof jacket or light down, plus gloves for the last week. Subways, shops and cafés are heated hard, so a layer you can take off beats one thick coat. If the cold snap comes and you want the Korean answer, the cheapest knee-length padded coat we found in Seoul this autumn was ₩49,900 (polyester, SPAO), and real down started at ₩199,000 (padded coat guide).

Honest notes. Do not come in November for snow; the Seoul normal is late in the month, and both of the last two winters were later still. Do not plan a Seoraksan summit hike after 14 November; the routes to Daecheongbong are closed. And do not count on a Korea Grand Festival discount that needs a Korean phone or card: the lodging coupons and Onnuri payback are for residents only.

FAQ

Q: Is November a good time to visit Korea? A: For cities, yes. There is no public holiday rush, hotel rates fall from the October peak, and the first week still has autumn colour in Seoul (forecast peak 19 October–5 November in 2026). The trade-offs are short days (sunset 17:35 to 17:14 in Seoul), cold nights around 3.5°C, and high mountain trails closed from 15 November.

Q: What is the weather like in Seoul in November? A: KMA's 1991–2020 normals give an average high of 11.9°C, a low of 3.5°C and 51.1 mm of precipitation. KMA's forecast of 23 September 2026 gives November 2026 a 50% chance of being warmer than normal, with sharp cold snaps at times.

Q: Does it snow in Korea in November? A: Sometimes. Seoul's official first-snow normal is 20 November, but the first snow came on 26 November in 2024 and 4 December in 2025. Busan's normal is 23 December. Hallasan on Jeju often sees snow in mid-November.

Q: What happens in Korea on 19 November 2026? A: The Suneung, the national university entrance exam. Offices and banks open at 10:00, Seoul adds extra morning trains, and all flights stop for about 35 minutes during the English listening test (13:05–13:40 in 2025). Streets near exam schools are busy around 07:00–08:10 and 16:40–18:30.

Q: What festivals are in Korea in November? A: The Busan Fireworks Festival (7 November 2026), the Korea Grand Festival with Korea Sale Festa (29 October–15 November), Pepero Day (11 November), Kimchi Day (22 November), and Seoul Autumn Festa until 29 November. Seoul Winter Festa starts on 14 December.

Q: Do I need a long padded coat in November? A: Usually not. A base layer, a sweater and a light down or windproof jacket cover Seoul's November normals. The knee-length padded coat is for December to February, when Seoul's average high is 4.2°C in December and 2.1°C in January.

Sources

• KMA open data portal (기상자료개방포털), 평년값 1991–2020 by station, data.kma.go.kr (read 8 October 2026); KMA three-month outlook, 23 September 2026
• Korea Meteorological Administration (기상청), 「한국기후표(1991~2020)」 Climatological Normals of Korea, station tables for Seoul (108), Busan (159) and Jeju (184), data.kma.go.kr: November highs, means, lows, precipitation and wet days, read 8 October 2026.
• KMA, November 2025 climate report (2025년 11월 기후특성), as reported by Herald Kyungje, 3 December 2025: national mean 8.5°C (+0.9°C), 4.9 wet days against a normal of 7.4, 20.2 mm (42.5% of normal), the 18–19 November cold snap.
• KMA three-month outlook for October–December 2026, issued 23 September 2026: November probabilities and normal ranges. First-snow normals: KMA regional climate pages, read 28 September 2026. Both as cited in our first-snow guide.
• Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (한국천문연구원, KASI), sunrise and sunset calculator, astro.kasi.re.kr: November 2026 times computed with the page's own model at sea level on 8 October 2026 (Seoul 37.55°N 126.97°E; Busan 35.18°N 129.08°E; Jeju City 33.50°N 126.53°E).
• Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE): Suneung on 19 November 2026 (plan of 31 March 2026) and 551,864 registered candidates (8 September 2026); 2025 flight, office, bank and subway measures. See our Suneung guide.
• Foliage forecasts: K-Weather and WeatherEye, September 2026, as compiled in our foliage guide. Trail closures: Korea National Park Service, autumn 2025 list, in our trail-closure guide.
• Event dates and prices: Busan Festival Organizing Committee (379); Lotte Wellfood and the CU catalogue, 2 October 2026 (499); Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation and Museum Kimchikan (502); Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Grand Festival plan (476); Fair Trade Commission accommodation dispute criteria and the 12 November platform rule (477); Seoul Metropolitan Government calendar (456, 458); resort notices and press for ski openings (479); Jeju Hallasan National Park office (483); KEPCO and Seoul city gas tariffs (511); Korail and the transport ministry (501, 495); clothing prices from brand stores (504); Korea's lodging statistics (460).