howmuchsun

Daylight hours in Seoul

Seoul gets 14h 45m of daylight on its longest day in June, and 9h 35m on its shortest in December — a difference of 5h 09m across the year.

How fast the days change

Around 17 March, Seoul gains or loses about 2.4 minutes of daylight every day.

Enough to notice over a fortnight, though the seasons arrive more gently here than further from the equator.

Sunrise and sunset by month

On the 15th of each month, in Asia/Seoul local time, daylight saving included.

Sunrise, sunset and day length by month.
MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightSolar noon
January 07:45 17:36 9h 51m 12:41
February 07:21 18:10 10h 49m 12:46
March 06:43 18:38 11h 55m 12:41
April 05:57 19:06 13h 09m 12:32
May 05:22 19:33 14h 11m 12:28
June 05:10 19:54 14h 45m 12:32
July 05:22 19:53 14h 31m 12:38
August 05:47 19:25 13h 38m 12:36
September 06:13 18:41 12h 27m 12:27
October 06:40 17:55 11h 16m 12:17
November 07:11 17:21 10h 10m 12:16
December 07:39 17:14 9h 35m 12:27

Solstices and equinoxes

DateSunriseSunsetDaylight
March equinox 20 Mar 06:36 18:43 12h 07m
June solstice 21 Jun 05:11 19:56 14h 46m
September equinox 22 Sep 06:19 18:30 12h 11m
December solstice 21 Dec 07:43 17:16 9h 34m

The equinoxes give almost exactly twelve hours of daylight everywhere on earth — "almost" because sunrise is defined by the sun's upper edge rather than its centre, and the atmosphere bends its light over the horizon before it has really arrived. Both lengthen the day by a few minutes.

Other cities in South Korea

Assumptions

  • Sea-level horizon. Hills, mountains and buildings all delay sunrise and bring sunset forward, sometimes by a lot in a valley.
  • Standard refraction. Sunrise is taken at −0.833°, allowing for the sun's disc and average atmospheric bending. Unusual air conditions shift it by a minute or two.
  • Local clock time, with daylight saving applied from the IANA timezone database.

Full methodology, sources and known limitations