With Christmas approaching, if a child asks, "When is Santa coming?" there's a good way to let them know. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has the answer.
According to NORAD's Santa-tracking information on the 24th, Santa typically visits Korea between 11 p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. Looking at records from the past five years (2020–2024), he generally arrived around 11:20 p.m., stayed for about 3 to 4 minutes, and then moved to the next destination.
Last year, Santa entered the skies south of Seogwipo, Jeju, at around 11:24 p.m. on Dec. 24. He then passed through major areas including Busan before arriving in Seoul.
In Seoul, he circled around the 63 Building in Yeouido, Namsan Seoul Tower, and the Gyeongbok Palace area. Santa stayed in Korea for a total of 3 minutes and 45 seconds. He then stopped by North Korea for about a minute before heading to China.
NORAD said, "If a child is awake when Santa arrives, he moves on to another house," and added, "He may return later, but the child must be asleep."
NORAD provides Santa's location information starting at 6 p.m. Korea time that day. It can be checked through the official website and mobile application (app). On social media (SNS) operated by NORAD, photos of Santa passing by landmarks around the world are also released.
NORAD's North Warning System monitors the Arctic with radars at 47 bases in northern Alaska and Canada. When Santa departs, satellites' infrared sensors begin tracking his location. Equipment that detects missile heat is said to pick up the infrared signal from Rudolph's nose and follow Santa's route.
Children can call the phone number operated by NORAD (+1-877-446-6723) and speak directly with a Santa-tracking staffer to be guided to his current location.
Based on an analysis of radar and satellite data, NORAD estimates Santa's height at 5 feet 7 inches (170.2 cm) and his weight at 260 pounds (118 kg). He has even passed alongside F-22 and F-16 fighter jets in flight in the past, and it is said his waistline is considerable and his cheeks flush red from riding a sleigh in cold weather.
Santa's sleigh is said to have made its first flight on Dec. 24, A.D. 343. The weight of the gifts alone at takeoff is estimated at 60,000 tons (t).
NORAD counted about 20 million gifts delivered by Santa to children in Korea last year. If this year is similar in scale, based on the domestic youth population (under 14) of about 5.27 million, each child would receive an average of four gifts.
NORAD has provided Santa location information for 70 years, from 1956 to this year. The catalyst was a mishap in 1955 when a department store in Colorado Springs mistakenly printed the command and control center number of the U.S. Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD's predecessor, as the "North Pole" phone number in a newspaper ad, prompting a flood of calls from children asking Santa's whereabouts.
The internet platform corporations Google also continues its Santatracker service. The Santa tracker displays Santa's location in real time. The tracking service operates from 7 p.m. that day. Arrival times are generally similar to NORAD's. Last year, Google's Santa tracker showed arrival in Korea at around 11:24 p.m. on the 24th, the same as NORAD.