Seasonal and tidal variations of density stratification in the Saemangeum waters are investigated based on synoptic CTD observations between July 2003 and September 2005. CTD data used in this study are those obtained after closing the dike No. 4 and before closing the two final gaps, the Sinsi and the Garyeok, on the Saemangeum tidal harrier. A total of 19 field campaigns comprehend a wide temporal spectrum, that is, few seasons, spring and neap tides, and high and low waters. In addition, ADCPs were anchored and CTDs were cast at three stations for 25 h in July 2005. Water columns are vertically homogeneous in autumn and winter. The vertical homogeneity persists in spring but with an occasional weak stratification in i:he northern part of the Gogunsan Islands. Increased reshwater runoff tends to stabilize the water columns and strong density stratification is established in summer. The mean potential energy anomaly (PEA) in summer used as a stratification parameter is the largest $(27.7;J;m^{-3})$ in the northern part of the Gogunsan Islands where the Geum River discharge dominates, the smallest $(16.9;J;m^{-3})$ is in the inner area of the barrier, in between the two $(21.6;J;m^{-3})$ in the southern part of the Gogunsan Islands. Whereas the stratification is generally strengthened in summer, strong winds or large tidal currents over the shallow depths frequently destratify the water column near the mouth of river runoff inside the tidal barrier. Periodic stratification, the development of stratification on the ebb and its breakdown on the flood, occurs in the mid-area inside the barrier induced by the tidal straining, which can also be found in the results of 25 h observation.