Seoul daily brief · Fri, Jul 31: Crowds peak at Jamsil, KRW strengthens

Jamsil hit level 3 (very busy) at 4pm — the city’s only peak crowd warning.
Yesterday’s PM2.5 averaged 13 — excellent air quality for July.
The won strengthened overnight — USD, EUR, JPY all lost ground.

How was Seoul yesterday?

Crowd peaks: Jamsil was the standout at level 3 (very busy) at 16:00 — the only area to exceed the typical summer Friday bustle of level 2 seen everywhere else (Hongdae, Myeongdong, Seongsu, Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon, Itaewon, Yeouido). PM2.5 averaged 13 µg/m³, well below the 35 µg/m³ good threshold and notably clean for late July. Temperatures ranged from a low of 23.3°C to a high of 31.7°C, both near the July norm.

What to expect today

Clear until sunset at 19:42 — palace or river tonight. UV index peaks at 7.8 (high), so wear sunscreen and a hat if you’re out between 11am and 4pm. Current conditions: 23.8°C (feels like 29.6°C), rain probability 41%, PM2.5 12.3 (good). Tomorrow jumps to a 84% rain chance with a high of 33.4°C — plan indoor activities if you’re out.

Money check

All major currencies weakened against the won overnight. The US dollar fell 1.4%, giving travelers about 1,428.6 won per dollar — slightly less buying power than yesterday. The euro stayed flat, while the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan also dropped. Check the table for today’s rates.

Measured hourly from the Hongdae live camera and Seoul open data.