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Time gap

Time differences

Time difference between Tokyo and Seoul

Good time for both on a weekday: 9:00–17:00 in Tokyo = 9:00–17:00 in Seoul.

 

 

 

  • Everyone at work
  • Work hours
  • Awake
  • Night
  • Weekend

Tap any column to see that moment in every city.

Different hours for each city
  • 0 hoursno difference
  • UTC+9Tokyo, January and July
  • UTC+9Seoul, January and July
  • 8 hoursshared 9-to-5 time

How the gap moves through the year

The gap never changes: Seoul and Tokyo show the same clock time on every day of the year, because neither city uses daylight saving time.

Tokyo does not change its clocks: it stays on UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) all year.

Seoul does not change its clocks: it stays on UTC+9 (Korean Standard Time) all year.

Everything on this page also holds if you swap Tokyo for Seoul, Busan, Pyongyang, Osaka or Dili, or Seoul for Tokyo, Busan, Pyongyang, Osaka or Dili — those cities follow exactly the same clock all year.

Working hours that overlap

In January, a 9-to-5 day in both cities shares 8 hours: 9:00 am–5:00 pm in Tokyo, which is 9:00 am–5:00 pm in Seoul.

July gives exactly the same window.

Across the week

At 9:00 on a Monday morning in Tokyo, it is 9:00 am on Monday in Seoul.

Daylight, distance and night calls

Tokyo and Seoul are about 1,150 km (716 miles) apart and 13° of longitude apart, which by the sun alone would be 45 minutes.

Tokyo's winter clock runs 19 minutes behind the sun, and Seoul's runs 32 minutes ahead of the sun.

In mid-January the sun is up in Tokyo from about 6:50 am to 4:50 pm, and the sun is up in Seoul from about 7:46 am to 5:36 pm; both cities are in daylight at the same time for about 9 hours.

In mid-July the sun is up in Tokyo from about 4:36 am to 6:58 pm, and the sun is up in Seoul from about 5:22 am to 7:54 pm; both cities are in daylight at the same time for about 13 hours 30 minutes.

Hour-by-hour table and common mistakes — 2 more sections
Each hour in Tokyo and the same moment in Seoul, on a Wednesday in January and in July. Shaded: inside 9-to-5 in both.
TokyoSeoul, JanuarySeoul, July
12:00 am12:00 am12:00 am
1:00 am1:00 am1:00 am
2:00 am2:00 am2:00 am
3:00 am3:00 am3:00 am
4:00 am4:00 am4:00 am
5:00 am5:00 am5:00 am
6:00 am6:00 am6:00 am
7:00 am7:00 am7:00 am
8:00 am8:00 am8:00 am
9:00 am9:00 am9:00 am
10:00 am10:00 am10:00 am
11:00 am11:00 am11:00 am
12:00 pm12:00 pm12:00 pm
1:00 pm1:00 pm1:00 pm
2:00 pm2:00 pm2:00 pm
3:00 pm3:00 pm3:00 pm
4:00 pm4:00 pm4:00 pm
5:00 pm5:00 pm5:00 pm
6:00 pm6:00 pm6:00 pm
7:00 pm7:00 pm7:00 pm
8:00 pm8:00 pm8:00 pm
9:00 pm9:00 pm9:00 pm
10:00 pm10:00 pm10:00 pm
11:00 pm11:00 pm11:00 pm

Common mistakes with Tokyo and Seoul

  • Assuming two different time zone names mean different times. Japan Standard Time and Korean Standard Time are both UTC+9, so a Tokyo time needs no conversion at all for Seoul.

Questions

Is Seoul ahead of Tokyo?
No — they show the same clock time all year (UTC+9).
What is a good time for a meeting between Tokyo and Seoul?
With 9-to-5 days in both cities, 9:00 am–5:00 pm Tokyo time is inside working hours in both, which gives 8 hours.
Does the time difference between Tokyo and Seoul change?
No. The gap never changes: Seoul and Tokyo show the same clock time on every day of the year, because neither city uses daylight saving time.

Related time differences

Tokyo time zone · Plan with more cities

City names, coordinates and time zone assignments: GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (selection and renaming of some cities by this site). Clock times are computed in your browser from the IANA time zone database. Sources and limits.