Time in Seoul
Seoul uses Korea Standard Time, nine hours ahead of UTC, and South Korea has not changed its clocks since 1988. The clock shows the exact local time with today's sunrise, sunset and a conversion table.
- Time zone
- —
- Abbreviation
- —
- UTC offset
- —
- Daylight saving
- —
- Compared with your clock
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- IANA time zone:
- Asia/Seoul
- Country:
- South Korea
- Coordinates:
- 37.57° N, 126.98° E
- Clock changes in 2026:
- none, UTC+9 all year
Time in Seoul when it is 9:00, 12:00, 17:00 or 21:00 elsewhere
Each cell is the time in Seoul at that hour in the city on the left, using today's offsets.
| When it is … in | 9:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 10:00 PM | 1:00 AM+1 | 6:00 AM+1 | 10:00 AM+1 |
| London | 5:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 1:00 AM+1 | 5:00 AM+1 |
| Paris | 4:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 12:00 AM+1 | 4:00 AM+1 |
| Dubai | 2:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 2:00 AM+1 |
| Mumbai | 12:30 PM | 3:30 PM | 8:30 PM | 12:30 AM+1 |
| Singapore | 10:00 AM | 1:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 10:00 PM |
| Tokyo | 9:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
| Sydney | 7:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
From UTC+8:30 to UTC+9
Korea's time zone has changed several times. The Korean Empire adopted UTC+8:30 in 1908, based on the 127.5° east meridian that runs through the peninsula. Under Japanese rule the clock moved to UTC+9 in 1912. After liberation, President Syngman Rhee's government returned to UTC+8:30 in 1954, and the military government restored UTC+9 in 1961, which is still in force. Some Koreans argue for UTC+8:30 because it matches the sun more closely, but no change has been made.
Daylight saving was used for the last time in 1987 and 1988, in the run-up to the Seoul Olympics. North Korea briefly used UTC+8:30 from 2015 to 2018 and then rejoined Seoul's time.
Sunrise and sunset in Seoul
Seoul lies at 126.98° east, west of the 135° meridian that defines KST, so the sun is about half an hour behind the clock: solar noon falls between about 12:15 and 12:45 PM. At the June solstice the sun rises around 5:10 AM and sets near 8:00 PM, about 14 hours 45 minutes of daylight; in December sunrise is near 7:45 AM and sunset about 5:15 PM, roughly 9 and a half hours.
Seoul sun times
Monday, October 19, 2026, local time
- Sunrise
- 6:43 AM
- Sunset
- 5:50 PM
- Day length
- 11 h 6 min
- Solar noon
- 12:17 PM
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Oct 19 | 6:43 AM | 5:50 PM | 11 h 6 min |
| Tue, Oct 20 | 6:44 AM | 5:48 PM | 11 h 4 min−2′ |
| Wed, Oct 21 | 6:45 AM | 5:47 PM | 11 h 2 min−2′ |
| Thu, Oct 22 | 6:46 AM | 5:46 PM | 11 h 0 min−2′ |
| Fri, Oct 23 | 6:47 AM | 5:44 PM | 10 h 57 min−3′ |
| Sat, Oct 24 | 6:48 AM | 5:43 PM | 10 h 55 min−2′ |
| Sun, Oct 25 | 6:49 AM | 5:42 PM | 10 h 53 min−2′ |
Approximate times (usually within two minutes), calculated from the city's coordinates with the NOAA solar equations. Hills, tall buildings and unusual air refraction can shift what you see.
Business hours and calls with the US and Europe
The Korea Exchange trades from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and offices usually work 9:00 to 18:00. New York is 13 hours behind during American summer and 14 in winter, so 9:00 AM in Seoul is 8:00 or 7:00 PM the previous evening in New York. London is eight hours behind during British Summer Time and nine in winter, which puts Seoul's late afternoon against the London morning. The KST to EST page shows the full day.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Seoul on the same time as Tokyo?
- Yes. Korea Standard Time and Japan Standard Time are both UTC+9 all year, so Seoul and Tokyo always show the same time.
- Why did Korea use UTC+8:30?
- The 127.5° east meridian runs through the middle of the peninsula, so UTC+8:30 matches Korean solar time. It was used from 1908 to 1912 and again from 1954 to 1961.
- What time is 9 AM in New York in Seoul?
- 10:00 PM the same day in Seoul during American daylight time and 11:00 PM during Eastern Standard Time.
- Is North Korea on the same time as Seoul?
- Yes, since May 2018. From 2015 to 2018 North Korea used UTC+8:30, half an hour behind the South.