Qibla by country

Qibla direction in South Korea

In South Korea, the Qibla is roughly west-north-west: from 286° to 287° from true north, depending on the city.

At a glance

  • Seoul, the capital: 286°, west-north-west, 8,336 km from the Kaaba.
  • The Qibla turns by 2° across the country, from 286° in Paju to 287° in Gijang.
  • Closest to Makkah: Gimpo-si, 8,312 km. Farthest: Gijang, 8,602 km.
  • Around Seoul, a magnetic compass points about 9° west of true north (World Magnetic Model 2025, for 2026). On a needle compass, the Qibla there is about 295°.

Qibla from every city in South Korea

Cities of 100,000 people or more, largest first.

Qibla in South Korea, in degrees clockwise from true north
CityQiblaDirectionDistance to the Kaaba (km)
Seoul286°west-north-west8,336
Busan287°west-north-west8,590
Incheon286°west-north-west8,316
Daegu287°west-north-west8,528
Daejeon286°west-north-west8,408
Gwangju286°west-north-west8,405
Suwon-si286°west-north-west8,349
Ulsan287°west-north-west8,600
Goyang-si286°west-north-west8,321
Changwon287°west-north-west8,556
Seongnam-si286°west-north-west8,354
Cheongju-si286°west-north-west8,408
Bucheon-si286°west-north-west8,322
Cheonan286°west-north-west8,374
Hwaseong-si286°west-north-west8,333
Jeonju286°west-north-west8,404
Ansan-si286°west-north-west8,330
Anyang-si286°west-north-west8,337
Gimhae287°west-north-west8,573
Pohang287°west-north-west8,589
Jeju City286°west-north-west8,422
Uijeongbu-si286°west-north-west8,337
Paju286°west-north-west8,313
Masan286°west-north-west8,398
Gumi287°west-north-west8,497
Sejong286°west-north-west8,393
Pyeongtaek-si286°west-north-west8,363
Yangsan287°west-north-west8,583
Gwangmyeong286°west-north-west8,329
Wŏnju286°west-north-west8,425
Jinju287°west-north-west8,505
Iksan286°west-north-west8,384
Gunpo286°west-north-west8,339
Chuncheon286°west-north-west8,390
Suncheon287°west-north-west8,461
Yeosu287°west-north-west8,482
Mokpo286°west-north-west8,369
Gyeongsan-si287°west-north-west8,541
Gunsan286°west-north-west8,361
Hanam286°west-north-west8,356
Gyeongju287°west-north-west8,582
Osan286°west-north-west8,357
Geoje287°west-north-west8,572
Chungju286°west-north-west8,435
Gangneung287°west-north-west8,491
Gimpo-si286°west-north-west8,312
Icheon-si286°west-north-west8,384
Guri-si286°west-north-west8,349
Yangju286°west-north-west8,335
Seogwipo287°west-north-west8,433
Gijang287°west-north-west8,602
Gwangyang287°west-north-west8,479
Andong287°west-north-west8,516
Gimcheon287°west-north-west8,479
Jeongeup286°west-north-west8,391
Yeoju286°west-north-west8,400
Hwado286°west-north-west8,361
Sangju287°west-north-west8,473
Donghae City287°west-north-west8,517

Not on the list? Search any town or use your location on the live compass.

Reading these numbers

Each bearing is measured clockwise from true north along the shortest path over the globe, a great circle, which is how the Qibla is worked out. A flat map can mislead, because the Earth is round.

Phone compasses work best after calibrating with a figure-8, away from metal and magnetic cases. Our guide to finding the Qibla also covers the sun, the local mosque and praying when unsure.

Qibla in other countries

Bangladesh China India Indonesia Iran Japan Myanmar (Burma) Pakistan Philippines Thailand Türkiye Vietnam

All countries

City data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Magnetic declination: the World Magnetic Model 2025 (NOAA and the British Geological Survey).