South Korea’s monsoon (rainy) season, known as jangma 장마, runs late June to late July. It’s the most uncomfortable time of the year to be in Korea – intense bursts of rain and persistently high humidity.
2011 and 2022 were especially heavy monsoon years where parts of Gangnam suffered severe flooding. Our car, along with hundreds of other vehicles, suffered massive water damage in 2011 and again in 2022. In our neighborhood, nearly all of the parked cars were scrapped.
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2015 is shaping up to a hot summer. The Korea Herald quotes a Korean meteorologist predicting, “… that this summer will be as hot as last year, based on climate forecasts from Korean and Japanese meteorological agencies and the World Meteorological Organization.”
The article suggests that Seoul temperatures remain high because of “… the urban heat island effect [which] includes surface reflectivity, impervious surfaces, green space availability, building height and artificial heat emissions.”
Our vocabulary on climate, & hot and humid part one and part two,
According to the Korea Times, the Seoul subway will start 30 minutes earlier, at 5am, starting August 1, 2025. Subway use continues to grow and we coveted that here. (We enjoy the subway during the hot summer months though some outdoor bus stops are cooled.)
Want to learn vocab and culture regarding subway etiquette? Asking directions and more asking directions.
“Over the last 10 years, average daily bus ridership in Seoul has fallen by 19 percent, from 4.57 million in 2014 to 3.73 million in 2024, according to official city data released in April.” An article in the Korea Herald today describes the steady decline in passengers on Seoul buses over the past 10 years.
The Seoul city government is required to subsidizes private bus companies when they are not meeting their quota. Further they report that over 90 bus routes operate at a loss. “In contrast, subway usage rose from 38.2 to 44.7 percent, showing a growing preference for rail over road-based transit.”
We covered electric buses in three parts:
Part one, part two, and part three.
The 7th Annual Yangjae Stream Cherry Blossom and Lantern Festival takes place April 3 to 27, 2025, in Seoul. The event features games for children, crafts, live music, food trucks, and beautiful natural scenery. Special attractions include an outdoor cinema, fireworks, and more. Lined with cherry blossom trees, Yangjae Stream offers a more relaxed setting for enjoying nature, walking, and cycling.
Cherry blossoms suffered some heavy wind and rains during their blossoming and so there’s no a whole lot left at this point. Still, a fantastic festival to attend.
양재천 벚꽃 등 축제 (yangjae-cheon beot-kkeot deung chuk-je) – Yangjae Stream Cherry Blossom & Lantern Festival.
The 2025 cherry blossom season was shortened this year by rain and strong winds. Still, some that can be spotted around Seoul.
cherry blossom – 벚꽃 (beot-kkeot)
See our recent post marking the beginning of cherry blossom season.
And our subsequent post on a cherry blossom festival in Seoul.
Seoul’s first IKEA store opens April 17, 2025. Though IKEA entered the Korean market in 2014, this will be their first store in Seoul. This location is in Seoul’s Gangdong (강동) neighborhood within the IPark The River shopping complex. IKEA now has five locations in Korea though all of their other locations here are of the typical large stand-alone blue box type.
As the company tries to cater to the Korean market, the Swedish retailer setup 44 demo rooms for single-person households. They will compete with other furniture retailers, such as Japan’s Nitori and Korea’s Emart, in the same shopping complex.
IKEA is open daily 10AM-10PM.
51, Godeokbizvalley-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
Our article on single person households.