What to Wear in Seoul in November and December: 3°C Outside, 20°C on the Subway
Mornings near freezing, afternoons in double digits, subway cars heated to 20°C. Why Seoul dresses in layers this time of year, what to pack, and what to buy when you land.
Partly personally verified — Daniel checked some of these in person
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Picture a Seoul subway car on a November morning. Standing in the same carriage: someone in a thin knit with a padded vest over it, someone who has already brought out a knee-length puffer, and someone holding out in a single trench coat. They're all dressed right. At this time of year Seoul changes weather twice a day. Morning isn't afternoon, and outside isn't inside.
- November: 3.5°C mornings, 11.9°C afternoons. December: −3.4°C and 4.2°C (KMA 1991–2020 normals), with daily swings of 8°C to more than 10°C.
- Layer instead of one heavy coat — subway cars are heated to 18–21°C.
- November kit: a thin thermal layer (Heattech-type) + a knit + a light down jacket or coat + a scarf.
- December kit: add a heavy puffer, gloves, a hat and a convenience-store heat pack (₩1,000–1,500).
- 2026 so far: first cold-wave advisory on October 27 (3.7°C on the 28th). The KMA leans warmer than normal for November–January, but cold snaps still hit.
How cold is Seoul in November and December, really?
The numbers tell you most of it. By the Korea Meteorological Administration's 1991–2020 normals, a November day in Seoul runs from 3.5°C in the morning to 11.9°C in the afternoon, averaging 7.5°C. December drops a full notch: −3.4°C in the morning, 4.2°C in the afternoon, 0.2°C on average. Think of November as a chilly autumn and December as the front door of winter.
| When | Morning / afternoon (normal) | What it feels like | What Seoul wears on top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early to mid-November | About 5°C / 14°C | Crisp mornings, cool afternoons | Trench, wool coat, light down jacket |
| Late November to early December | Around 0°C / 7°C | First frosts; winter when it's windy | Coat over a light down layer, short puffer |
| Mid-December onward | Around −3°C / 4°C | Winter proper starts | Heavy puffer, long puffer |
The figures by period are our own split between the monthly normals. The real variable is the year itself, and this year's first cold spell has already come. The KMA issued a cold-wave advisory for parts of the capital region and inland areas including Chungcheong at 9 p.m. on October 27, and Seoul's morning low the next day was 3.7°C, the coldest of the autumn so far (Eunpyeong-gu (은평구), in the city's northwest, hit −1.5°C). The KMA also warned that inland parts of the capital region would see day-night swings of 10°C or more. Its October three-month outlook, as reported, says November to January will probably run warmer than normal, but that cold air can still drop in briefly and send temperatures sharply down. The KMA's August winter outlook also put the chance of a warmer-than-normal December to February at 50%. So pack for the coldest day, not the average one. For January and February, see Seoul in winter.
Why layers instead of one heavy coat?
In this season, Seoul often feels warmer inside than out. Subway cars are heated automatically to between 18°C and 21°C under an environment ministry notice, and the crew can't adjust it. Cafés, department stores and underground shopping arcades are warm too. Step from 3°C outside into a 20°C train, then out onto a windy Han River (한강) bridge. Here's a telling number: of the roughly 800,000 heating and cooling complaints Seoul Metro received in 2025, 94% said it was too hot (summer included).
A Note From Daniel — our real human editorThe subway runs its heating pretty hard in winter. If you get on in very heavy clothes, it can get much hotter than you'd expect. In a packed rush-hour train with a long puffer on, you start sweating fast. When you ride the subway, wear something you can take off or unzip.
Look closely at what people in Seoul wear and most outfits have a layer you can remove:
- A thin thermal layer (Heattech-type): invisible from outside and doing most of the work. It doesn't overheat you indoors.
- A knit or a sweatshirt: indoors, this becomes your outer layer.
- A light down jacket or vest: practically November's uniform here. It packs down to the size of a fist, and plenty of people wear it under a coat and pull it off on the train.
- The outer layer: a coat or a short puffer in November, a heavy puffer from December. Long puffers tend to appear on the streets all at once, like a signal that the real cold has arrived.
- A scarf: the cheapest way to feel several degrees warmer. Indoors, it goes in your bag.
Why is everyone wearing a mask?
Not only for the cold. From late autumn to spring there are more days with heavy fine dust, and for several winters the government has run a "fine dust seasonal management" program from December to March (the most recent, the seventh, ran from December 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026). Half the masks are for wind, half are for the air. Bring a few, or buy KF94-type masks at a convenience store or pharmacy. Check the day's air quality with one of the essential apps.
What should you pack, and what can you buy in Seoul?
| Item | Pack it or buy it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Thin thermal layer (Heattech-type) | Pack it, or buy it here | The most efficient layer; fast-fashion stores stock plenty |
| Light down jacket | Pack it | Enough on its own on a November afternoon; packs small |
| Heavy puffer | Pack it for a December trip | You can buy one here, but local sizes run small |
| Heat packs | Buy in Seoul | About ₩1,000–1,500 at any convenience store; stick-on or hand-held |
| Gloves and scarf | Either | Cheap at underground arcades and market stalls |
If you plan to buy clothes here, trendy domestic brands run small. For larger sizes, read our guide to Korean clothing sizes and Korea's fast-fashion brands first. For shoes, one pair of flat-soled sneakers is enough, though from late November some days get slippery.
Until early November there are the autumn leaves; from late November, the Christmas lights. Both mean standing outside for a while. So the right outfit for this season comes down to one test: can you stand outdoors for 30 minutes, and can you take a layer off on the subway?
- Seoul normals (1991–2020): November 3.5°C mornings, 11.9°C afternoons; December −3.4°C and 4.2°C. Daily swings of 8–10°C or more.
- Subway cars are heated to 18–21°C, so wear layers you can take off rather than one heavy coat.
- November: thermal layer + knit + light down jacket or coat + scarf. December: add a heavy puffer, gloves and a hat.
- Heat packs cost about ₩1,000–1,500 at convenience stores; masks at convenience stores and pharmacies.
- 2026: first cold-wave advisory October 27, Seoul at 3.7°C on October 28. The three-month outlook leans warmer than normal, but sudden cold snaps are possible.
