A Pikachu in Hanbok Turns Up in Jongno and Jung-gu
Jongno, Jung-gu and the airport
The first one is called 2026 Pikachu's Autumn Picnic. In Korean time it opens at 10:00 on September 18 and closes at 20:00 on October 11. That is more than three weeks, so you get about four weekends out of it.
It does not work just anywhere, though. The official notice names parts of Jongno-gu and Jung-gu in Seoul, plus the Hiker Station at Incheon International Airport. The realistic plan is to switch the game on when you already have something to do in Jongno or Jung-gu, or when you are meeting someone at the airport.
The orange hanbok Pikachu appears during this window. It shows up in one-star raid battles, and you can join only once per gym per day. So the answer is to walk between gyms.
Three days from the 24th, nationwide
The second one is 2026 Pikachu's Korea Outing. It runs for exactly three days, from 10:00 on September 24 to 20:00 on September 26, and the location is the whole of Korea. If you cannot get to Jongno, these are your three days.
The same orange hanbok Pikachu turns up in one-star raids, and two bonuses come with it. Candy from evolving a Pokémon is doubled, and Stardust from raids is doubled too. The notice also says fireworks effects appear on the map.
The two research rewards are not the same
Finish the timed research for the Autumn Picnic and you get 2,026 XP. On top of that come an encounter with the orange hanbok Pikachu, one Premium Battle Pass and event-themed stickers. The 2,026 looks like it was set to match this year.
The Korea Outing has different numbers: 4,500 XP, a Premium Battle Pass, 5,500 Stardust and an encounter with the same Pikachu. If you want both, run one in Jongno and the other during the nationwide window.
During the Autumn Picnic, Lure Modules last two hours. That is longer than usual, which makes it a good stretch for parking yourself in one spot.
Decide this before you head out
Most of this game happens while you walk. Jongno and Jung-gu are busy with both traffic and people, so it helps to decide in advance: look at the screen standing still, and keep the phone in your pocket while walking.
The 20:00 cutoff is awkward. Head over after school and you have two or three hours left, and since it is once per gym per day, mapping your route beforehand gets you through more gyms in the same time.
If you have time before you set off, DoYouBox has a few things too. Seoul Subway Line 2 Loop lets you ride the loop line by ear, with the real station announcements. In DoYou Catch you move the basket to catch falling soy-milk cartons and dodge the bombs. Find Your Ideal Type gives you your animal-type ideal match in 8 questions.