Winter in Korea – Beautiful and Cruel
Winter in Korea is one of the most beautiful scenarios you will ever see. And probably one of the most brutal winter you will ever experience because of low temperatures and dry climate that make it very hard to endure.
Before coming to Korea I’ve never experienced the cruel winter. I actually didn’t really know what was to walk in the snow, to build snowman or the feeling of having a snow battle. The first time I saw snowing in Korea was an emotional feeling. I always saw the snow on television but I never imagine how beautiful can be. The snow winter in Korea is like small pieces of cotton falling delicately from the sky. When snow falls it just looks like a romantic scene from a movie. It is so soft and delicate that make you feel like you’re in a dream. It’s such a beautiful scene!
I surely was very excited at the beginning about the snowing winter. But the first time I had to go to classes and walk in the slippery floor I was so afraid. I didn’t have the appropriate cloth or shoes for winter in Korea. The cold is indescribable, the wind transfer every layer of cloth and can make you feel your skin frozen. Since your face is the only skin you can’t cover completely, I felt serious burn in my cheeks because of the cold. Now even if I love snow scenery, I prefer to not spend too much time outside if it isn’t necessary.
It’s true that winter in Korea is very cold, but the truth is that not every place in Korea is that much cold. The south of Korea is always warmer. Snow doesn’t fall easily in places like Busan. But the northern areas of Korea are really really cold. Seoul, the capital, will be often find with snow and cold wind. Besides the dry climate convert the wind in small needles cutting your skin. You can feel you lost sensitiveness in your face for a while.
During this winter 2017-2018 the coldest day registered a temperature of -20 degrees in the capital, which fairly feels like -30. During that time I was visiting Pyeongchang, which is even colder. The temperature there in the coldest day of winter was -38 degrees but the real feeling was around -42. Unbelievable! Sure I wasn’t ready for that much cold! I couldn’t resist to spend too long time outside. Actually during that time, were registered some few deaths due to the cold. But don’t alarm, actually the average temperature for winter in Korea is around -5 to -15. Pretty bearable.
However despite the winter in Korea can be really cruel, every place you visit, a restaurant, coffee shop, cloth shops and even the street food stands have some kind of heater system to make feel comfortable their clients. Even with that much cold, Korea keeps very active. So if happen to you to visit Korea during the winter, don’t let the cold ruin your plans and keep exploring. As long as you visit indoor places you will be always safe and warm.
