An October plan for Korea: who the month suits, what to pack, where to go and how the 2026 holidays fall, with weather and visitor estimates from October 2025.
October suits travellers who want comfortable walking weather in the cities and on the coast, with a warm layer packed for the mountains.
Who Korea in October suits
October works well for city breaks, coastal walks and light hiking. In October 2025 the monthly mean temperature was 16.5 °C in Seoul, 19.6 °C in Busan and 21.9 °C on Jeju, so day-to-day sightseeing needs a light jacket rather than winter clothing. The Daegwallyeong highland station in Gangwon was cooler, with a monthly mean temperature of 10.8 °C. These are monthly averages for one year, not a forecast and not a description of every day.
It is a weaker fit if you want snow or winter sports. Seoul, Busan and Jeju each recorded 0 snow days in October 2025, and this page has no snow-day figure for Daegwallyeong. Evenings also draw in as the month goes on, so plan outdoor sights for the daytime.
What to pack and wear
Pack layers. The monthly mean of daily minimum temperatures in October 2025 was 13.1 °C in Seoul, 17.0 °C in Busan and 19.7 °C on Jeju, so mornings and evenings are where a jacket earns its place. At Daegwallyeong the mean daily minimum was 7.9 °C, so a warm layer, and a hat if you are sensitive to cold, make sense for the mountains.
- Seoul: a light jacket or cardigan over a shirt, plus comfortable walking shoes.
- Busan and Jeju: lighter clothing with one extra layer for the evening and for sea breezes.
- Mountain areas such as Gangwon: a fleece or warm mid-layer and a windproof outer layer.
This page has no rainfall figure, so check a forecast before you go and carry a compact umbrella.
Where to go and what to do
The station records suggest two kinds of trip: a cities-and-coast trip in the warmer places, and a cooler highland trip in Gangwon. This page makes no claim about autumn colours, so check conditions before building a trip around them.
- Seoul: walk around the royal palaces, browse the hanok lanes of Bukchon, shop in Myeongdong and climb Namsan for the city view before sunset.
- Busan: the coastline around Haeundae, the hillside lanes of Gamcheon Culture Village and the seafood stalls of Jagalchi Market suit a mild-weather visit.
- Jeju: Hallasan, the volcanic coast and the island's coastal walking routes are the usual draws.
- Gangwon: Seoraksan National Park and the mountain towns around Pyeongchang, which is known for its ski resorts, suit visitors who like cooler air and hiking.
If the weather turns, Korea has strong indoor options: museums and galleries in Seoul, department-store food halls, covered markets, tea houses and jjimjilbang bathhouses, and aquariums and seaside cafes in Busan.
Holidays and long weekends
In 2026 Chuseok, the autumn harvest holiday, fell from September 24 to 26, so October 2026 had no Chuseok holiday. October did have National Foundation Day on Saturday, October 3, 2026, with a substitute holiday on Monday, October 5, 2026, and Hangul Day on Friday, October 9, 2026. That produced two long weekends close together. In 2025 the pattern was different: the Chuseok holiday and substitute holiday ran from October 5 to 8, 2025, with National Foundation Day on October 3, 2025 and Hangul Day on October 9, 2025. Holiday dates move from year to year, so check the official calendar for the year you plan to travel.
The table shows how estimated foreign visitors behaved in the 2025 holiday periods. Each value compares the window's daily average with the mean of the four nearest same-weekday, non-holiday observations before the window starts. National Foundation Day and Hangul Day are one-day windows, so read them as single-day comparisons.
| Region | Chuseok, October 5 to 8, 2025 | National Foundation Day, October 3, 2025 | Hangul Day, October 9, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | +6% | -14% | -17% |
| Busan | +11% | -8% | -1% |
| Jeju | -21% | -9% | +10% |
| Gangwon | +22% | -3% | +15% |
| Gyeonggi | -1% | -12% | -15% |
| Incheon | -18% | -28% | -25% |
| Pyeongchang | +29% | -8% | +128% |
| Jeongseon | +52% | -7% | +52% |
| Hongcheon | +73% | +6% | +55% |
| Jung-gu (district that includes Myeongdong) | +10% | -19% | -20% |
Gangwon and its districts rose in the Chuseok and Hangul Day windows in 2025, while Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Gyeonggi and Incheon did not move in one direction. The table is a record of one year and says nothing about how busy a place will feel.
October or November?
This page has no November weather figures, so the comparison below uses visitor estimates only. Against the twelve months ending November 2025, estimated foreign visitors in November 2025 were Seoul +18%, Busan +20%, Gyeonggi +3%, Incheon +13% and Jung-gu +23%. Jeju was -14% and Gangwon -8%, where in October 2025 both had been +12%. The Gangwon districts were lower again: Pyeongchang -42%, Jeongseon -61% and Hongcheon -26%, against -22%, -7% and -20% in October 2025. For the next month see our Korea in November page.
The data behind these answers
The visitor figures are Korea Tourism Organization DataLab estimates of daily foreign visitors. They count foreign visitors only and describe October 2025 against the daily mean of the twelve months ending October 2025, with 31 of 31 days in October 2025 and 365 of 365 days in the twelve months present for every region below. District rows are parts of their province or city row and are not added to it. They are not a count of tourists or arrivals, and they are not a forecast for any later year.
| Region | October 2025 mean per day | Twelve-month mean per day | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 152392 | 124695 | +22% |
| Busan | 49162 | 38182 | +29% |
| Jeju | 43022 | 38386 | +12% |
| Gangwon | 10125 | 9048 | +12% |
| Gyeonggi | 71575 | 65421 | +9% |
| Incheon | 74837 | 65699 | +14% |
| Pyeongchang (district) | 694 | 892 | -22% |
| Jeongseon (district) | 277 | 298 | -7% |
| Hongcheon (district) | 999 | 1256 | -20% |
| Jung-gu (district that includes Myeongdong) | 68663 | 57334 | +20% |
In October 2025 Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, Incheon and Jung-gu were above their own twelve-month means, while Pyeongchang, Jeongseon and Hongcheon were below theirs. These are statements about estimated foreign visitors in October 2025 only. This page does not use them to say how busy any place will feel.
The weather figures come from Korea Meteorological Administration station records for October 2025: the monthly mean temperature and the monthly mean of daily minimum temperatures at Daegwallyeong, Seoul, Busan and Jeju, plus the count of snow days at Seoul, Busan and Jeju. Holiday dates come from the Korean government holiday regulations and the national calendar outlines listed below.
Sources
- Korea Tourism Organization DataLab regional visitor estimates (data.go.kr dataset 15101972)
- Korea Law Information Center, Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices
- Korea AeroSpace Administration, announcement of the 2025 Wollyeok Yohang (calendar outline)
- Korea AeroSpace Administration, announcement of the 2026 Wollyeok Yohang (calendar outline)
- Korea Meteorological Administration, ASOS daily observations (data.go.kr 15059093)
- KMA Open MET Data Portal, ASOS daily data lookup
Checked on October 21, 2026.