We conducted a seasonal field survey to analyze the distribution patterns of a phytoplankton community and biological oceanographic characteristics in the Geum river estuary in 2018. The results showed that the phytoplankton community consisted of 58 genera and 116 species, showing a relatively simple distribution. It was controlled by diatoms at 70.2%, a low number of species in winter and spring, and a high number in summer and autumn. The phytoplankton cell density ranged from 10.0 to 2,904.0 cells mL-1, with an average layer of 577.2 cells mL-1, which was low in autumn and high in winter. The seasonal succession of phytoplankton dominant species was mainly centric diatoms from winter to summer, including Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii, Cerataulina bergonii, and Skeletonema costatum-ls in winter, S. costatum-ls and C. bergonii in spring, and Eucampia zodiacus and Th. nordenskioeldii in summer. However, the autumn species depended upon the regions, with the inner bay dominated by the centric diatom, Aulacoseira cf. granulata, the mixed areas by S. costatum-ls, and the open sea by the dinoflagellate, Lingulodinium polyedra. According to principal component analysis (PCA), the phytoplankton community was greatly affected by the inflow and expansion of freshwater, including high nutrients, which are introduced annually through the rivermouth weir in Geum river estuary. However, the estuary, which is strongly affected by annual freshwater, was limited to areas near Geumran Island, which is adjacent to the river-mouth weir.