December is one of the cooler months of the year in Korea, with average highs near 28.2°C and lows around 6.6°C (mean 17.4°C). It is one of the drier months, averaging 10 mm of rainfall and 54% relative humidity across the period.
December is one of the cooler months of the year in Korea. Across 45 years of records, the warmest December in Korea was 1988 — when the month averaged 19.5°C — while the coldest was 2019 at 12.8°C. Typical December days reach 28.2°C with nights near 6.6°C. The long-term trend is cooling, about 0.4°C per decade.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 18.1°C | 17.3°C | 18.1°C | 16.6°C | 16.6°C | -1.5°C |
| Avg High | 29.3°C | 27.5°C | 28.9°C | 27.8°C | 27.6°C | -1.7°C |
| Avg Low | 7.0°C | 7.0°C | 7.4°C | 5.5°C | 5.7°C | -1.3°C |
| Avg Rain | 10 mm | 11 mm | 3 mm | 11 mm | 16 mm | +6 mm |
December temperatures in Korea have fallen by about 1.4°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
December has ranged from a record low of 0.9°C (2019) to a record high of 31.6°C (1984).
Rainfall in December is one of the drier months, averaging 10 mm, with a wettest year of 72 mm.
A good time to visit Korea
December is a good time to visit Korea, with days averaging 28.2°C and nights around 6.6°C (mean 17.4°C, cooler than Korea's yearly average) and low rainfall. February and October are marginally more temperate, but December still suits most travellers.
| Year | High | Low | Avg | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25.1°C | 4.9°C | 15.0°C | 0 mm | 73% | 1.4 m/s | — |
| 2024 | 28.9°C | 5.5°C | 17.2°C | 15 mm | 64% | 1.4 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2023 | 28.0°C | 6.2°C | 17.1°C | 37 mm | 67% | 1.1 m/s | 3.4 |
| 2022 | 27.4°C | 7.2°C | 17.3°C | 1 mm | 62% | 1.4 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2021 | 27.6°C | 4.0°C | 15.8°C | 38 mm | 61% | 1.5 m/s | 3.5 |
| 2020 | 28.4°C | 6.2°C | 17.3°C | 7 mm | 56% | 1.2 m/s | 3.5 |
| 2019 ❄️ | 24.7°C | 0.9°C | 12.8°C | 15 mm | 76% | 1.4 m/s | 3.3 |
| 2018 | 27.7°C | 4.3°C | 16.0°C | 29 mm | 51% | 1.5 m/s | 3.7 |
| 2017 | 29.0°C | 7.3°C | 18.2°C | 0 mm | 48% | 1.2 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2016 | 27.1°C | 6.2°C | 16.6°C | 0 mm | 60% | 1.4 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2015 | 30.9°C | 6.7°C | 18.8°C | 2 mm | 51% | 1.4 m/s | 3.5 |
| 2014 | 28.2°C | 4.2°C | 16.2°C | 23 mm | 51% | 1.4 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2013 | 24.3°C | 7.1°C | 15.7°C | 0 mm | 73% | 1.3 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2012 | 29.5°C | 5.4°C | 17.4°C | 2 mm | 54% | 1.4 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2011 | 28.8°C | 7.0°C | 17.9°C | 10 mm | 54% | 1.1 m/s | 3.9 |
| 2010 | 27.6°C | 6.1°C | 16.8°C | 27 mm | 55% | 1.5 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2009 | 28.4°C | 8.6°C | 18.5°C | 6 mm | 55% | 1.2 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2008 | 30.1°C | 8.3°C | 19.2°C | 0 mm | 52% | 1.2 m/s | 3.8 |
| 2007 | 28.6°C | 6.6°C | 17.6°C | 2 mm | 54% | 1.4 m/s | 4 |
| 2006 | 30.3°C | 8.1°C | 19.2°C | 1 mm | 48% | 1.4 m/s | 4 |
| 2005 | 27.8°C | 6.9°C | 17.3°C | 4 mm | 50% | 1.4 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2004 | 28.2°C | 6.5°C | 17.3°C | 5 mm | 52% | 1.3 m/s | 4 |
| 2003 | 25.2°C | 5.4°C | 15.3°C | 12 mm | 71% | 1.2 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2002 | 30.6°C | 8.3°C | 19.4°C | 2 mm | 44% | 1.6 m/s | 4.1 |
| 2001 | 29.7°C | 7.4°C | 18.5°C | 0 mm | 45% | 1.2 m/s | 4.3 |
| 2000 | 30.5°C | 7.7°C | 19.1°C | 0 mm | 23% | 1.7 m/s | 4.5 |
| 1999 | 26.3°C | 7.7°C | 17.0°C | 1 mm | 55% | 1.1 m/s | 4.3 |
| 1998 | 25.9°C | 7.2°C | 16.6°C | 0 mm | 56% | 1.3 m/s | 4.5 |
| 1997 🌧️ | 25.2°C | 6.2°C | 15.7°C | 72 mm | 85% | 1.5 m/s | 3 |
| 1996 | 29.2°C | 5.1°C | 17.2°C | 0 mm | 37% | 1.5 m/s | 4.1 |
| 1995 | 29.3°C | 8.4°C | 18.8°C | 22 mm | 54% | 1.3 m/s | 3.9 |
| 1994 | 29.1°C | 6.5°C | 17.8°C | 0 mm | 44% | 1.1 m/s | 4.5 |
| 1993 | 27.0°C | 6.3°C | 16.7°C | 0 mm | 48% | 1.2 m/s | 4.2 |
| 1992 | 27.9°C | 7.8°C | 17.9°C | 0 mm | 44% | 1.5 m/s | 4.4 |
| 1991 | 28.2°C | 7.1°C | 17.7°C | 11 mm | 54% | 1.4 m/s | 4.1 |
| 1990 | 26.4°C | 8.1°C | 17.2°C | 0 mm | 62% | 1.4 m/s | 4.2 |
| 1989 | 28.5°C | 6.9°C | 17.7°C | 30 mm | 42% | 1.3 m/s | 4.2 |
| 1988 🔥 | 30.4°C | 8.7°C | 19.5°C | 0 mm | 38% | 1.5 m/s | 4.4 |
| 1987 | 30.1°C | 7.0°C | 18.5°C | 3 mm | 51% | 1.5 m/s | 4.4 |
| 1986 | 28.7°C | 6.8°C | 17.8°C | 37 mm | 56% | 1.6 m/s | 3.8 |
| 1985 | 28.8°C | 5.8°C | 17.3°C | 0 mm | 55% | 1.5 m/s | 4.4 |
| 1984 | 31.6°C | 7.3°C | 19.4°C | 0 mm | 35% | 1.7 m/s | 4.4 |
| 1983 | 27.9°C | 4.9°C | 16.4°C | 11 mm | 53% | 1.3 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 29.3°C | 7.4°C | 18.3°C | 0 mm | 50% | 1.6 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 28.0°C | 7.8°C | 17.9°C | 12 mm | 55% | 1.6 m/s | — |
Actual recorded December data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in December is around 28.2°C with lows near 6.6°C (mean 17.4°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
December averages 10 mm of rainfall in Korea, one of the drier months. The wettest on record was 72 mm in 1997.
The hottest December reached 31.6°C in 1984. The coldest dipped to 0.9°C in 2019.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average December temperatures have fallen by about 1.4°C. Daytime highs moved from 29.1°C to 27.4°C and overnight lows from 6.6°C to 5.6°C over the same span.
December is one of the cooler months of the year in Korea and one of the drier months, so plan for around 28.2°C daytime highs and 6.6°C at night.
Yes — December is the coldest month of the year in Korea, averaging 17.4°C.
For December in Korea, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 28.2°C and lows of 6.6°C.
Relative humidity in December averages 54% — relatively dry.
Average wind speed in December is 1.4 m/s. The windiest December on record averaged 1.7 m/s (1984).
The wettest December on record was 1997 with 72 mm. On average, December sees 10 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Korea behaves each December, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for December specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
