Seoul winter is cold and dry, not wet. If you have never experienced it, the specific thing to prepare for is the wind, not the temperature on the forecast.

What the numbers actually mean:

1. December to February, daytime highs of minus 2 to plus 5, nights down to minus 10 or minus 15 in a cold snap.

2. It is a dry cold, which is more bearable than a damp 3 degrees — but the wind between buildings makes minus 5 feel like minus 12.

3. Snow happens but Seoul is not a snowy city. Expect a handful of proper snowfalls, mostly January.

4. Indoors is very warm. Heated floors, aggressive heating in shops and on the subway. You will be taking layers off constantly, which is why layering matters more than one thick coat.

What to buy — and buy most of it in Korea:

- A long padded coat (롱패딩). This is the single item that solves winter. Korea is genuinely one of the best places in the world to buy one, prices from 100,000 won upward, and the local ones are designed for exactly this climate. Do not buy one at home.

- Heat-tech style thermal base layers. Uniqlo is everywhere and cheap. Two or three sets.

- Gloves, a scarf, a beanie. Cheap in any subway underground shopping street.

- Proper shoes with a sole. Not fashion sneakers. Icy pavement is the actual danger.

- Lip balm and hand cream. The dryness is a genuine surprise for people from humid climates, and so is the static.

Bring from home: nothing bulky. Fly light and buy here. Everything above is available within a week of landing, cheaper and better suited.

One real tip: buy the coat in your first two weeks, before the cold properly arrives. By mid-December the good ones in common sizes are gone.