Han River Freezes Due to Prolonged Cold Wave... Seven Days Earlier Than Average

Due to the ongoing cold wave, the Han River has frozen for the first time this winter. This is a week earlier than the average year.

Yonhap News

On January 3, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced that the Han River had frozen on this day. This is seven days earlier than the average freezing date of the Han River (January 10) and 37 days earlier than last winter (February 9).

The freezing of the Han River is defined as the moment when a virtual rectangular area, set 100 meters upstream between the second and fourth piers of Hangang Bridge connecting Dongjak-gu and Yongsan-gu in Seoul, is completely covered with ice so that the water is no longer visible.

Typically, the Han River freezes when the minimum temperature in Seoul remains below minus 10 degrees Celsius for more than five days, and the maximum daily temperature also stays below freezing.

According to the Seoul Meteorological Observatory in Jongno-gu, the minimum and maximum temperatures in Seoul over the past five days were as follows: December 29, 2025, -0.1°C and 9.1°C; December 30, -3.7°C and 3.8°C; December 31, -8.9°C and -1.2°C; January 1, 2026, -10.5°C and -2.1°C; and January 2, -11.4°C and -3.8°C. On January 3, the temperature was -9.8°C.