PHOTOS: Seoul turns white after the season's first snow

Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu
SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Seoul woke up white after an overnight snowfall that began during the evening commute. The city saw its first snow of 2025 last night — two weeks later than average and eight days later than last year.

Streets whitened quickly as cars crawled through Gwanghwamun and people walked with their shoulders tucked in against the cold. Snowfall reached 1 to 3 centimeters per hour, with bursts of more than 5 centimeters, coating palace roofs and drifting through the lights of the city. In just a short time, the first snow carried Seoul fully into winter.

A heavy-snow alert was issued, and emergency warnings were sent across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Some areas saw more than 5 centimeters an hour, leading to traffic delays and icy roads. Many people slipped on frozen sidewalks, and cars slowed through streets where snow removal could not keep up. Morning temperatures fell to minus 6 degrees Celsius, turning much of the snow into packed ice.

Even so, many stepped outside to enjoy the white scenery, choosing to face the cold to take in the first snow of the season.

Gyeongbokgung Palace blanketed in snow in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. YONHAP 2025년 12월 5일 서울 종로의 광화문

Gwanghwamun in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Yoo Na-hyun 2025년 12월 5일 서울 종로의 광화문에서 관광객들이 첫눈을 즐기고있다

Visitors enjoy the season’s first snow near Gwanghwamun in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Yoo Na-hyun

Gyeongbokgung Palace blanketed in snow in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. YONHAP 2025년 12월 5일 서울 종로의 북촌한옥마을

Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu 2025년 12월 5일 서울 종로의 세종대왕상에 눈이 쌓여있다

Snow gathers on the statue of King Sejong in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Yoo Na-hyun 2025년 12월 5일 서울 종로의 광화문에서 관광객들이 첫눈을 즐기고있다

Visitors enjoy the season’s first snow near Gwanghwamun in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu 2025년 12월 5일 서울 종로의 북촌

Bukchon in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu 2025년 12월 5일 서울 종로의 광화문

Gwanghwamun in Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Yoo Na-hyun

A shop owner spreads calcium chloride on an icy road in Bukchon, Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu

A small snowman sits in front of a hanok in Bukchon, Jongno District, Seoul, on December 5, 2025. AJP Han Jun-gu
Han Jun-gu and Yoo Na-hyun Report jungu141298@ajupress.com