What to Pack for South Korea in Winter (From Our Own Trip)

We spent Christmas and New Year in South Korea, starting and finishing in Seoul, with Gyeongju, Busan and Jeonju in between. On Boxing Day morning in Seoul it was -12°C (10°F), and the wind made it feel like -15°C (5°F). We never had real snow, just one day in Seoul when it started to snow and turned to sleet, but we had plenty of rain, wind and mud.

The short answer: pack layers you can take off, a proper warm outer jacket, gloves, a beanie and a scarf, and warm waterproof boots. Then leave room in your bag, because you’ll want it on the way home.

Here’s exactly what went in our bags, how we wore it, and what we came home with.

Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This helps us to keep bringing you travel updates and news. See our Disclosure Policy for more information. We only recommend companies and products that we personally use. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

How cold Korea gets in winter

Winter in Korea runs from December to February, and how cold it feels depends a lot on where you are. Seoul was the cold one for us. On Christmas Day a public safety alert came through on my watch, in Korean, warning of a cold wave the next morning. Google Lens translated it: stay out of the cold, wear winter clothing, prevent freezing and be careful of heater fires. Sure enough, on Boxing Day morning it was -12°C (10°F), with wind gusts making it feel like -15°C (5°F). On our last day, heading to the airport, another alert warned of strong winds right across Incheon. Boxing Day was a cold snap rather than a typical day: the Korea Meteorological Administration’s long-term figures put January, Seoul’s coldest month, at an average of -1.9°C (29°F).

Busan, on the south coast, was much milder. Days were around 8°C (46°F) and we didn’t get any cold sea breezes. Its winter average is 5.0°C (41°F), although the wind can pick up when cold air pushes down from the continent.

Boxing Day in Seoul, and the cold-wave alert that came through on Christmas Day, translated with Google Lens

Good to Know

• Seoul’s coldest month is January, with an average of -1.9°C (29°F).
• Busan’s winter (December to February) average is 5.0°C (41°F).
• Seoul’s winter is its driest season, with only about 5% of the year’s rain and snow.
• Averages hide cold snaps – we had -12°C (10°F) in Seoul on Boxing Day.
• Source: Korea Meteorological Administration long-term averages, 1991 to 2020.

Dressing for freezing streets and warm metros

It really is all about layers. On the cold days, when we knew we’d be outside for a long time, we wore a thermal, then a top, then a light jacket, with either the puffer or the ski jacket over the top. When we got onto the metro or went inside, the outer jacket came off.

Layers work the other way too. On the DMZ tour (our DMZ tour guide covers that day) it was really windy, and it was the wind that was cold. But we did so much walking that we warmed up quickly, and I needed to strip off layers. On some of the walks I ended up in my short-sleeve shirt. I kept my waterproof boots on, though, because we’d had rain and the ground was mushy in places.

Inside, the heating can be serious. Our hanok in Gyeongju, Hanok Prince, had heated floors, and they were so hot when we arrived that the chocolate in a bag we’d put on the floor melted. We’d forgotten it was there. We turned the floor heating down after that.

If you want the thinking behind each layer, our guide to dressing for cold weather with layers goes through it.

What went in our suitcases

We didn’t overpack, and we used pretty much everything we took – you do need thermals in the colder areas. Here’s how much I packed for our 21 days:

• 2 sets of thermals (tops and leggings) – we didn’t wear them every day
• 2 outer jackets (a puffer and a ski jacket)
• 2 lighter mid-layer jackets
• 5 tops
• 3 pairs of pants
• 7 pairs of underwear and 4 bras
• 7 pairs of socks

That was enough because we did some washing along the way. We used the hotel laundry towards the end of our Seoul stay and again in Busan, and our hanok stay in Jeonju had a washing machine and dryer, so in our last two days there we washed what we needed for the flight home.

Here are the pieces in more detail, with the brands we actually wore.

Two outer jackets

I took my Mountain Design puffer and my XTM ski jacket. The ski jacket is reasonably waterproof, so it was the one for rain, sleet and long days outside. The puffer was more for going out at night. Darren took his puffer and a thick, dressier jacket.

Light mid-layer jackets

A couple of lighter Macpac jackets went under the outer jacket. This was the layer I could keep on once the puffer or ski jacket came off indoors.

Thermals and tops

Our thermals and tops were Icebreaker. On cold days the thermals went on under our long pants and tops, with lighter t-shirts and shirts under the jackets. I also took a couple of dressier long-sleeve shirts.

Because we spent Christmas Day and New Year in Seoul, we didn’t only pack casual pants. We took some nicer smart-casual winter clothes too, and the thermals went under those as well.

Darren wore a pair of jeans in Busan, where it was milder. We find jeans aren’t great once it dips below zero, though.

Boots (the only shoes I took)

I took two pairs of Columbia boots and no other shoes. My Bugaboot III boots are insulated and waterproof, and they did the day trips, rain and mud. My Minx Shorty IV boots are a creamy white and dressier, so they did the city and evenings. I wore the Minx Shortys on the plane, so only one pair took up room in the suitcase. We also always pack traction cleats, in case it snows and there’s black ice.

Gloves, beanies and scarves

We both had gloves, beanies and woollen scarves. Darren doesn’t go to any cold climate without his possum wool gloves from New Zealand. Possums aren’t native there – they’re an introduced pest – which we explain in our guide to layering for cold weather.

Hand warmers

We took our OCOOPA rechargeable hand warmers. Because they’re rechargeable, there’s nothing to throw away, and we use them on all our cold trips.

Good to Know

• Korean convenience stores sell disposable hand warmers, called hot packs, in winter, including pocket-sized ones and stick-on patches.
• They’re handy if you’re caught out, but they’re single-use. If you feel the cold, rechargeable hand warmers you bring from home are the reusable option.

What I wear on the plane

My go-to outfit for flying somewhere cold is the one below. These days I swap the sneakers for my Minx Shorty boots, which means one less pair of boots in the suitcase. For more on the flight itself, see our tips for flying in cold weather.

Rugged up near N Seoul Tower, and my go-to outfit for flying somewhere cold, in the Qantas Lounge in Sydney

Rain, sleet, mud and ice on days out

Winter in Korea isn’t all crisp, dry days. Our day tour out of Seoul took in Seoraksan, Nami Island and Eobi Ice Valley. Nami Island was sloshy and muddy from rain and sleet. At Seoraksan it stayed dry while we were there, then a storm came through as we were leaving. Eobi Ice Valley was wet but not muddy.

In Gyeongju we caught an Uber up to Seokguram Grotto and walked back down to Bulguksa Temple. It was cold enough that the fountain outside the grotto had frozen.

Beanies on at Eobi Ice Valley, and the frozen fountain outside Seokguram Grotto, Gyeongju

Between the rain, sleet and mud, the waterproof ski jacket and the waterproof boots earned their place, even without any snow.

Everything else you’ll need, winter or not

The rest of our packing looked much like any other trip, but a few things work a little differently in Korea.

Documents and entry

Our passports went with us, along with our doctors’ letters for the prescription medication we take. Nobody asked to see the letters, but we always carry them.

We didn’t need a K-ETA, as Australian passport holders are currently exempt (more on that below).

Travel insurance is the other thing we never leave home without. We use Cover-More, and we keep a copy of our policy both electronically and printed out.

Good to Know

• South Korea normally asks visa-free visitors to get a K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization) before they fly.
• Visitors from 22 countries and regions, including Australia, are temporarily exempt until 31 December 2026. The exemption has been extended a year at a time, so check the official K-ETA website for your travel dates.
• If you don’t have a K-ETA, you’ll fill in an arrival card, either the e-Arrival card online before you fly or a paper card. K-ETA holders don’t need one.

Money

We took a small amount of Korean won and used it at some of the small markets, but most of the time we paid by card. Our travel cards worked at most markets, and in the taxis we caught. Our guide to taking money overseas explains how we set up our money before a trip.

Getting around

In Seoul we caught the metro everywhere, with a T-money card we bought at a convenience store. Between cities we took the high-speed trains, and outside Seoul we caught Ubers pretty much everywhere. If you haven’t used public transport overseas before, our guide to using public transport overseas walks you through it.

Phone, apps and power

For phone data, I used my phone plan’s international roaming on this trip. The other option, and the one I often use, is a Holafly eSIM. Our link applies the discount code WANDER (5% off). If it doesn’t, enter the code at checkout.

For maps, Naver Map was the one we used most, with Google Maps to a certain extent. Google Maps has long been limited in Korea: because of restrictions on exporting Korean map data, it hasn’t offered full walking and driving directions, which is why locals use Naver Map or Kakao Map. Naver Map has an English version and gives proper turn-by-turn directions for walking, the metro and buses. Korea approved Google’s request to export map data in February 2026, so that may change, but for now Naver Map is the one to download. Apart from maps, the only other apps we needed were Uber and Google Lens, which translated the Korean safety alerts on my watch.

We take multi-country adaptors. Korea uses round two-pin plugs (Types C and F) at 220 volts, so check your chargers and adaptor before you go.

Good to Know

• Korean Air, Asiana, Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul don’t allow power banks to be used or charged during flights.
• Power banks must stay within reach (not in the overhead locker), with the terminals taped or each one in its own bag.
• Other airlines have their own rules. See can you take a power bank onto a plane before you fly.

Health, skin care and toiletries

Our skin got really dry in Korea, so we made sure we had good face and body cream for after our showers at night. Apart from that it was our normal toiletries and medication. Our skin care tips for cold destinations cover what helps.

In Seoul I came down with a stuffy nose and a bad cough that got quite chesty, so I went to a pharmacy and bought medication for it. That’s the bigger lesson from this trip: if you forget something or need something, you’ll most likely be able to get it in South Korea.

Good to Know

• Pack prescription medication in its original labelled packaging, with enough for the whole trip and your doctor’s letter.
• Medicines containing controlled substances, such as some strong painkillers, need a permit from Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety before you travel. If you’re not sure about a medicine, check with the Ministry or your doctor.

Camera gear in the cold

I always carry multiple batteries for my Nikon, enough that I’ve never run out while we’re out for the day, even in the cold. We also carry power banks so we can charge things on the go.

For the cold, I wear photography gloves with fingertips that pull off, so I can work the camera without taking my gloves off.

Day bag

When we were out during the day, I carried a sling bag with my camera gear: my Nikon, the Osmo Pocket 3, the Insta360 and spare batteries. Our passports and my cards, in my passport wallet, went in it too.

Some days Darren carried a day pack. Other days he just had his phone and wallet, zipped into his pockets, because he takes most of his photos on his phone.

Luggage: leave room for the trip home

Darren took a hard suitcase and I took a large duffle bag, and we kept enough room in both to bring back beauty products. With two sisters-in-law, a mother-in-law and a best friend at home, we bought lots of them, and both our bags were full of them on the way back.

Myeongdong is definitely a tourist area, but it’s good for beauty products. Olive Young is the best-known beauty store in Korea, and its shops are literally everywhere; we bought some things there too. We also picked up a couple of long-sleeve shirts in Seoul.

We flew Jetstar business class, which came with a bigger baggage allowance. If you’re on an economy fare, check your allowance before you start shopping. Our packing tips for overseas travel have more ideas for keeping your bags light.

Myeongdong, Seoul, where the beauty shops are

Free printable checklist

Want this list on paper? Download our printable South Korea winter packing checklist, with the winter gear first and everything else after it. You’ll also get our monthly newsletter, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pack for layers, keep your feet dry and leave room in the bag, and a Korean winter is very easy to dress for.

Until next time… keep wandering.

Last updated: November 2026.

Love this guide? Save it for later

Pin it to your Pinterest board so it’s there when you plan your trip.