Does Korea have daylight saving time?
Short answer — no. South Korea has stayed on KST (UTC+9) year-round for decades, so its clock never springs forward or falls back.
Short answer — no
South Korea does not observe daylight saving time. It stays on Korea Standard Time (KST), UTC+9, all year round, so the clocks never spring forward in spring or fall back in autumn. The country's last brush with summer time was in 1987–1988, around the Seoul Olympics, and it was dropped afterward.
A quick history
Korea has actually tried daylight saving several times — in 1948–51, 1955–60, and again in 1987–88 — but none of the experiments stuck. The changes were unpopular and the practical benefit at Korea's longitude was limited. Since 1988 the country has held steady on UTC+9, and there are no current plans to bring daylight saving back.
What it means for the time difference
Because Korea's clock is fixed, any seasonal change in the time gap with your country comes entirely from your side. New York, for example, sits 14 hours behind Korea in winter and 13 hours behind in summer — but that's New York moving, not Seoul. When you're scheduling around a comeback, a livestream or a finals match, the only clock change to watch is your own region's daylight-saving switch.
To see the current gap for your city instantly, use the live clock and converter on the home page.
Frequently asked
When did Korea last use daylight saving time?
In 1987–1988. It has not been used since.
Why doesn't Korea use DST?
Past trials were unpopular and the daylight benefit at Korea's longitude is limited; it has stayed on UTC+9 since 1988.
Does North Korea use a different time?
North Korea briefly used UTC+8:30 (“Pyongyang Time”) from 2015 but returned to UTC+9 in 2018. Neither Korea observes DST.