OPDADA · Korea Guide

Korea in November: What to Expect and How to Plan

Official climate normals, late-autumn foliage, Busan fireworks, kimjang season, CSAT day and Pepero Day

November is the hinge month in Korea. It opens with the last of the autumn colour in the south and brings Seoul's first snow around 20 November in an average year. Crowds thin out after the October peak and the air turns dry and crisp. The trade-off is that the weather changes fast: a mild 15°C afternoon in the first week and a sub-zero morning in the last week are both normal.

This guide uses the Korea Meteorological Administration's 1991–2020 climate normals and official event announcements. Where a date for an upcoming edition has not been published yet, we say so rather than guess.

November weather: the official numbers

The figures below are the KMA's 30-year normals (1991–2020) for the main observation station in each city. They are averages, so any given November can run warmer, colder or wetter.

CityMeanAvg. highAvg. lowRain (mm)Snow days
Seoul7.5°C11.9°C3.5°C51.12.3
Busan11.9°C16.6°C8.3°C50.40.1
Jeju13.3°C16.4°C10.4°C69.50.4

Three things stand out. First, November is dry: Seoul's 51 mm is roughly an eighth of its July rainfall. Second, the north–south gap is large, with Seoul averaging about 4°C colder than Busan and 6°C colder than Jeju. Third, Seoul's mornings are already cold: the KMA normals put the first ice on 3 November and the average first snow on 20 November. Busan and Jeju, by contrast, average only 0.1 and 0.4 snow days in the whole month, so a "first snow in Seoul" headline does not mean the south is cold.

Seoul also averages 157 hours of sunshine in November against Busan's 196, so the capital feels greyer even when it is not raining.

What to pack

For a full season-by-season packing list see /guide/seasons-and-packing, and for late-month cold tips see /guide/korea-winter-survival.

Late foliage: where colour lasts into November

By November the famous northern mountains (Seoraksan, Odaesan) are past peak, but the south is still turning. The Korea Forest Service's 2025 foliage forecast map, released on 1 October 2025, predicted the maple peak on average on 1 November nationwide, with Naejangsan (Jeongeup, North Jeolla) peaking on 6 November and Gayasan (South Gyeongsang) on 11 November. The same release noted that peak dates have shifted about 4–5 days later compared with the previous decade, which is why early-to-mid November is now a safe window for the southern parks.

Naejangsan, a national park in Jeongeup, is the best-known of the southern foliage destinations and is busiest on the weekends nearest its forecast peak; a weekday visit or an early start makes the difference. The Forest Service usually publishes the next year's forecast map around the start of October, so check it for 2026 dates. For how foliage works across the whole country, see /guide/korea-cherry-blossom-autumn-foliage.

November events to plan around

Busan Fireworks Festival (7 November 2026)

The 21st Busan Fireworks Festival is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026 at Gwangalli Beach, with the Haeundae and Igidae areas also part of the venue. It is run by Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Festivals Organization. Check the official site for ticket details. Expect heavy crowds; book early.

Kimjang season and kimchi festivals

Late autumn is kimjang season, when households make their winter supply of kimchi in bulk. UNESCO inscribed "Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi" on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013, describing it as a communal late-autumn practice. Seoul and several cities hold kimchi events in November, but the format changes year to year. For example, the 2025 Korea Kimjang Festival in Seoul (22 November 2025, aT Center, Yangjae) was a promotion and sales event with an ingredient market and no hands-on kimchi-making for the general public, A separate event — the Seoul Kimjang Culture Festival, run by the city at Seoul Plaza — did include a foreigner kimchi-making section ("외국인 김장간") in 2016 and 2019, and the city's 2016 announcement mentions interpreters. The two are different festivals with different organisers, not earlier and later editions of one. If making kimchi is the goal, confirm the programme on the city's official event listing in October, or book a cooking-class operator that offers it year-round. For kimchi in everyday eating, see /guide/korean-food-guide.

Seoul's winter lights now start in December, not November

Travellers using older guidebooks sometimes expect the Seoul Lantern Festival in early November. In recent years it has moved: the 2024 edition ran from 13 December 2024 along Cheonggyecheon Stream with free entry, and the 2025 edition opened on 12 December 2025 as part of Seoul Winter Festa, together with Gwanghwamun Market (12–31 December 2025). A late-November visit will therefore miss the lanterns; the city announces the winter schedule in the autumn, so check it if your dates fall near the turn of the month. Regional events are listed in /guide/korea-festivals.

CSAT day: 19 November 2026

The national college entrance exam (CSAT, or suneung) falls on a Thursday in mid-November. The Ministry of Education has confirmed the 2027 academic-year test for Thursday 19 November 2026, with results released on 11 December 2026. For travellers the exam matters because of the traffic measures around it. In 2025 (exam held 13 November 2025) the government asked public offices and businesses to delay start times to 10 a.m., and increased Seoul-area subway frequency from 6:00 to 8:10 a.m. The measure most likely to affect a visitor is aviation: during the English listening section all take-offs and landings nationwide are held (in 2024 this window was 13:05–13:40, 35 minutes, and 156 flights were rescheduled). Check with your airline if you are flying in or out of Korea in the early afternoon that day. These measures are usually announced in October; the pattern has been consistent for years.

11 November: Pepero Day

On 11 November Koreans exchange Pepero, a chocolate-coated biscuit stick, with friends, partners and colleagues. The custom arose among teenage girls in the mid-1990s; Lotte began marketing it in 1997 after sales staff noticed the trend. The date looks like four sticks (11/11). It is a light custom, not a holiday: nothing closes, and you will simply see Pepero stacked at the front of convenience stores.

Crowds and booking

For transport basics see /guide/getting-around, and if you are arriving for the first time, start with /guide/first-week-in-korea.

FAQ

Q. Is November a good month to visit Korea?
Yes, if you like dry, cool weather and smaller crowds. Rainfall is low (about 50 mm in Seoul and Busan), southern foliage lasts into the first half of the month, and hotel demand eases after October. The cost is cold mornings in Seoul from the third week on, when the average first snow (20 November) arrives.

Q. How cold is Seoul in November?
The KMA 1991–2020 normals give a monthly mean of 7.5°C, an average high of 11.9°C and an average low of 3.5°C. The KMA normals also put Seoul's first ice on 3 November and its average first snow on 20 November, so late-month mornings can be below freezing.

Q. Can I still see autumn leaves in November?
In the south, yes. The Korea Forest Service's 2025 forecast put Naejangsan's maple peak on 6 November and Gayasan's on 11 November. Northern mountains such as Seoraksan are past peak by then. The forecast map is normally published between late September and early October.

Q. When is the Busan Fireworks Festival in 2026?
Saturday 7 November 2026 at Gwangalli Beach, with the Haeundae and Igidae areas also part of the venue. Check the official site for ticket details.

Q. Will the CSAT exam day affect my trip?
Possibly. The exam date itself is confirmed as 19 November 2026, but the flight measure for that day is announced separately by the transport ministry shortly before the exam, so it is not published yet. As a guide to scale: on the 2024 exam day take-offs and landings nationwide were held for 35 minutes (13:05–13:40) and 156 flights were rescheduled. Seoul also moves office start times to 10 a.m. Check with your airline once the measure is announced.

Q. Is the Seoul Lantern Festival in November?
Not in recent years. The 2024 and 2025 editions opened in mid-December along Cheonggyecheon Stream as part of Seoul's winter programme, so a November visit will miss it unless the city changes the schedule.

Sources

Written and maintained by OPDADA · Last checked 2026-08-23 · Spotted an error? Let us know. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules, prices and schedules change — confirm with the official source before you act.