Seoul to Los Angeles time
Convert any time between Seoul (KST) and Los Angeles (US West, Pacific Time) instantly — Seoul runs 16 hours ahead in summer and 17 hours ahead in winter, and the tool applies LA's daylight saving automatically for the date you pick.
Enter a valid date and time.
🔒 Conversion runs only in your browser — it works offline and nothing is uploaded.
The exact gap: 16 hours in summer, 17 in winter
Seoul runs on Korea Standard Time (KST, UTC+9) all year, and because Korea never observes daylight saving, its clock never moves. Los Angeles sits on Pacific Time and does switch: Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC-7) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November, and Pacific Standard Time (PST, UTC-8) the rest of the year. That single change is why the gap flips between 16 and 17 hours. During LA's daylight-saving months Seoul is 16 hours ahead; through the winter it stretches to 17. Seoul is always the day ahead.
Two worked examples you can trust
In summer (PDT, 16-hour gap), 9:00 AM Tuesday in Seoul lands at 5:00 PM Monday in Los Angeles — the afternoon before. In winter (PST, 17-hour gap), that same 9:00 AM Tuesday in Seoul becomes 4:00 PM Monday in LA. Going the other way, a 5:00 PM LA workday finish falls at 9:00 AM the next morning in Seoul during summer, or 10:00 AM in winter. Because Seoul leads by more than half a day, a 'morning' call for one side is usually an 'evening' or 'next-day' call for the other.
When the shift matters — and how the tool handles it
The 16-versus-17-hour question bites hardest around the two changeover weekends: LA springs forward in mid-March and falls back in early November, while Seoul never moves. Miss the switch and every recurring standup, flight-arrival estimate, live NBA or MLB start time, and call to US customer support drifts by an hour. Rather than tracking the dates yourself, enter the exact day above — the converter checks whether LA is on PDT or PST for that date and applies the correct 16- or 17-hour offset automatically, including the awkward transition weekends.
Frequently asked questions
Is Seoul ahead of or behind Los Angeles?
Seoul is always ahead — by 16 hours in summer and 17 in winter. When it's Monday afternoon in LA, it's already Tuesday morning in Seoul. Seoul reaches each moment of the day roughly two-thirds of a day sooner, so treat Seoul as 'tomorrow' whenever you plan across the two cities.
Why does the difference change between 16 and 17 hours?
Los Angeles observes daylight saving time, moving to PDT (UTC-7) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November and back to PST (UTC-8) afterward. Seoul never uses daylight saving, staying on UTC+9 year-round. Only LA's clock moves, so the gap is 16 hours during LA's summer and 17 hours during LA's winter.
What's a reasonable meeting time for both cities?
Late afternoon in Los Angeles works best. A 4:00–5:00 PM LA meeting is 8:00–10:00 AM the next day in Seoul, depending on the season — an early but workable start for Korea. Avoid LA mornings, which land after midnight in Seoul. Enter the specific date above to see the exact overlap, since the 16/17-hour gap shifts with LA's daylight saving.