Germination characteristics, seedling emergence, and early seedling growth of iron-coated rice seeds, cultivars Daebo and Samdeokbyeo, under different water depths were compared with those of non-coated seeds (control) and the results evaluated to obtain basic information for establishing stable seedlings in direct water seeding. The total germination percentage of the two seed treatments was similar, but iron-coated seeds had slightly faster germination and shorter mean germination time than non-coated seeds. Water absorption rates of iron-coated seeds were lower than that of non-coated seeds during seed germination. The germination percentage of the two iron-coated rice seed cultivars showed a significant decline of 15-22% after one year of storage under natural conditions. The seedling emergence percentage and uniformity of the two rice cultivars were significantly higher in the iron-coated seeds at 1-13 cm water depths but the percentage of floating seedlings was lower in iron-coated seeds than in non-coated seeds. The iron-coated seeds had a high seedling emergence percentage of 91.3-93.3% at all flooding depths whereas the non-coated seeds had a significantly low seedling emergence percentage of 57.7-71.7% at a water depth of 13 cm. Moreover, the shoot dry weight and seedling health score of iron-coated seeds were significantly higher than those of non-coated seeds, while root dry weights were similar in iron-coated and non-coated seeds, regardless of water depth. These results suggest that iron-coated seeds are more appropriate for stable seedling establishment in direct water seeding than are non-coated seeds.