High-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) is generated from a nuclear burst at high altitudes above the Earth, the electromagnetic fields reach the ground nearly simultaneously with regard to the operation time of systems. The aim of this analysis is to inquire about HEMP characteristics and to analyze about effect in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system. Specifically, HEMP characteristics are classified field sources, spatial coverage, time domain behavior, frequency spectrum and field intensities in this study. Bits error rate (BER) of the receiver with the software simulation is confirmed for the HEMP effect. Q-factor made a difference about interference duration by transfer characteristics of system. When Q factor is smaller, the recovery time from HEMP interference is short. To the contrary, if the Q factor is larger, the recovery duration is lasted longer by 300-600%.