Korea has four distinct seasons….

In a different comment thread in r/korea the other day, I made a passing (somewhat sarcastic) comment about the gazillions of posts about how Korea has four distinct seasons – reflecting the common, proud refrain heard so often from Koreans.

Thing is, today (September 22) is the autumnal equinox – technically, the first official day of fall. The Indian summer the past few weeks have been unseasonably hot and humid, and it really did seem like the four seasons were turning into two. The heavy rains the past few days were of course coincidental, but it's interesting how the cool weather is following right on the heels of Chuseok – as it often seems to have done (from my anecdotal experience).

When I first moved to Korea from the US many years ago, I remember hearing this refrain over and over about the four seasons, then being surprised as the heat would kick in almost exactly the day after eating 삼계탕 (ginseng chicken soup), in preparation for the heat of 초복 (start of peak summer). Likewise, I've experienced fall kicking in right around Chuseok enough times now to make me think the four seasons are still actually alive and well in Korea.

By my estimation, the fall weather should last until early December, and because I live in Busan, my guess is that it will down here. I'm curious what others think. Thoughts?

https://en.as.com/latest_news/what-is-the-official-first-day-of-fall-2024-what-is-the-exact-time-n/
What is the official first day of fall 2024?