The REAL 'Four Seasons' of Korea

Korean's say all kinds of grand things about the Korean peninsula; it is the most beautiful country, has the best, healthiest food, best education system in the world. All kinds of nationalistic ideals, which is great, having pride about your country is only natural, especially after how hard Korea has worked to get where it is today. Yet having pride for your country is different than straight up lying. If I had a dollar for every Korean that has said to me, "Korea has wonderful weather, we have all four seasons!" well, lets just say I would have a lot of dollars. As I sit inside on this warm June afternoon and listen to the downpour outside, I want to call bullshit on you, Korea. Best weather, four seasons? Bullshit. 


If you recall, back in December I was so excited about these so called "four seasons." Now, seven months later, not so much. I have almost lived here for a whole rotation around the sun and can expertly comment on the weather in South Korea... 




The  (real) seasons of Korea 


September - early December : Changing leaves, scattered all over the street. Cool, light sweater temperatures, kimchi making season. 
mid December - late March: Frigid, below freezing, snowing, icy, wear ten layers of clothes, huge scarves and warm boots, don't leave your house unless necessary miserable. 
April - May : Blue skies, cherry blossoms and flowers in bloom, warm days, crisp nights, park time!
June - early September - Hot. Rain. Dumping, pouring, never ending rain. flooding, umbrellas, aircon and humidity. Don't expect to dry off much during this season. 


Ok, so maybe there are four of them but they are in no way equal, the good ones last for a mere month or so and the bad ones are SO bad, they make you want to stab someone with an umbrella or smoosh thier face into the black snow until their bodies lie limp (depending on the time of year.)


The weather here is terrible (granted, this is coming from the girl who lived in the desert for 5 years with only three seasons - perfect, hot and FUCKIN hot.) Just when you think its going to be nice for a while, it takes a turn for the worst.  Today there are two tropical storms in the map covering South Korea for the next 10 days and let me just say its hard to look good when your soaking wet with frizzy hair, I don't know how these Korean women do it!

Ellie Teacher

onedayillflyaway.com

Comments

Re: The REAL 'Four Seasons' of Korea

There are six seasons, two of them being a sub season of the major four.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter. Plus yellow dust and rainy seasons.

Re: The REAL 'Four Seasons' of Korea

i'll give you. its hot, however it isn't that cold. i grew up in the prairies of canada, nice and dry cold. i was told that winteres in korea would be harsh, but that was a fat lie. and yeah, summer is hot, and the rain, is depressing. now here in Kuala lumpur its even hotter but at least the rain will start and then stop within a few short hours.