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Public holidays in North Korea

17 days in 2026 · 15 in 2027

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Next public holiday

Party Foundation Day

로동당 창건기념일

After it: Mother's Day, Monday 16 November

Saturday, 10 October 2026

No official North Korean holiday list is on file, and the calendar here is written from timeanddate's lists, which give 17 public holidays for 2026 and 15 for 2027. The days that matter most are the birthdays of the state's first two leaders: the Day of the Sun on 15 April for Kim Il Sung and the Day of the Shining Star on 16 February for Kim Jong Il. Three of the 2026 days fall on a Sunday, 8 February, 8 March and 27 December, and three on a Saturday.

Most of the rest are anniversaries of the state and its institutions: the army on 8 February, the end of the Korean War on 27 July, liberation from Japan on 15 August, the republic on 9 September, the Workers' Party on 10 October and the socialist constitution on 27 December. Beside them sit three days of the lunar calendar, which move against the solar year: Lunar New Year, on Tuesday 17 February in 2026, Daeboreum, the first full moon, on Tuesday 3 March, and Chuseok, the harvest festival, on Friday 25 September.

Days off in 2026
17Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
11Monday to Friday
On a weekend
6Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
5and 3 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in North Korea in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's Day양력설New Year's Day, the new year of the Gregorian calendar.Thursday
  2. 8 February: Korean People's Army Foundation Day인민군 창건일The founding of the Korean People's Army on 8 February 1948. It was kept as Army Day until 1978, moved to 25 April, the date given for Kim Il Sung's guerrilla army, and moved back to 8 February in 2015.Sunday
  3. 16 February: Day of the Shining Star광명성절The Day of the Shining Star, the birthday of Kim Jong Il, born on 16 February 1942, and with the Day of the Sun one of the two leaders' days that head the calendar.Monday
  4. 17 February: Lunar New Year설명절Lunar New Year, the first day of the first month of the Korean lunar calendar.TuesdayDate moves
  5. 3 March: Daeboreum대보름Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Timeanddate lists it as Cheongwoldaeboreum.TuesdayDate moves
  6. 8 March: International Women's Day국제부녀절International Women's Day, kept in North Korea as a public holiday.Sunday
  7. 15 April: Day of the Sun태양절The Day of the Sun, the birthday of Kim Il Sung on 15 April 1912, the founder of the state, and the central holiday of the state calendar. The mass games have been staged around it.Wednesday
  8. 1 May: International Workers' Day국제로동절International Workers' Day, marking the achievements of workers.Friday
  9. 6 June: Korean Children's Union Foundation Day조선소년단창립절The founding of the Korean Children's Union in 1946, the organisation for schoolchildren.Saturday
  10. 27 July: Day of Victory in the Fatherland Liberation War조국해방전쟁승리의 날Victory Day, the signing of the armistice on 27 July 1953 that ended the fighting of the Korean War, which the state calls the Fatherland Liberation War.Monday
  11. 15 August: Liberation Day조국해방의 날Liberation Day, the end of Japanese rule on 15 August 1945.Saturday
  12. 25 August: Day of Songun선군절The Day of Songun, made a holiday in 2013, for Kim Jong Il's visit on 25 August 1960 to an armoured division of the army, which the state treats as the start of his military-first leadership.Tuesday
  13. 9 September: Day of the Foundation of the Republic창건기념일The founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 9 September 1948.Wednesday
  14. 25 September: Chuseok추석Chuseok, the mid-autumn harvest festival, on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.FridayDate moves
  15. 10 October: Party Foundation Day로동당 창건기념일Party Foundation Day, for the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1945.Saturday
  16. 16 November: Mother's Day어머니날Mother's Day, a holiday since 2012 for all mothers.Monday
  17. 27 December: Constitution Day사회주의헌법절Constitution Day, for the enactment of the socialist constitution in 1972.Sunday

Long weekends

Long weekends in North Korea in 2026

Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.

  • 4daysThu 1 Jan to Sun 4 JanWith Fri 2 Jan taken as leave · New Year's Day
  • 4daysSat 14 Feb to Tue 17 FebDay of the Shining Star, Lunar New Year
  • 4daysSat 28 Feb to Tue 3 MarWith Mon 2 Mar taken as leave · Daeboreum
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayInternational Workers' Day
  • 3daysSat 25 Jul to Mon 27 JulDay of Victory in the Fatherland Liberation War
  • 4daysSat 22 Aug to Tue 25 AugWith Mon 24 Aug taken as leave · Day of Songun
  • 3daysFri 25 Sept to Sun 27 SeptChuseok
  • 3daysSat 14 Nov to Mon 16 NovMother's Day

2027

Public holidays in North Korea in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's Day양력설Friday
  2. 6 February: Lunar New Year설명절SaturdayDate moves
  3. 8 February: Korean People's Army Foundation Day인민군 창건일Monday
  4. 16 February: Day of the Shining Star광명성절Tuesday
  5. 8 March: International Women's Day국제부녀절Monday
  6. 15 April: Day of the Sun태양절Thursday
  7. 1 May: International Workers' Day국제로동절Saturday
  8. 6 June: Korean Children's Union Foundation Day조선소년단창립절Sunday
  9. 27 July: Day of Victory in the Fatherland Liberation War조국해방전쟁승리의 날Tuesday
  10. 15 August: Liberation Day조국해방의 날Sunday
  11. 25 August: Day of Songun선군절Wednesday
  12. 9 September: Day of the Foundation of the Republic창건기념일Thursday
  13. 10 October: Party Foundation Day로동당 창건기념일Sunday
  14. 16 November: Mother's Day어머니날Tuesday
  15. 27 December: Constitution Day사회주의헌법절Monday

The lists on file disagree with one another, and the calendar here follows timeanddate. Wikipedia's list, which it flags as needing citations, has more days: Chosongul Day on 15 January, Tree Planting Day on 14 March, International Children's Day on 1 June, Youth Day on 28 August and a set of lunar festivals, as well as days added for political anniversaries, such as the Day of the Strategic Forces on 3 July, created in 2016, and Missile Industry Day on 18 November, for a missile launch of 2022. It also gives two days for the Day of the Shining Star and three for the Day of the Sun. A report in Daily NK said the official calendar for 2017 marked 71 holidays, Sundays included.

Timeanddate's list for 2027 does not include Daeboreum or Chuseok, and the calendar for 2027 here follows it, so neither lunar day appears in that year. No source on file says whether a holiday that falls on a weekend is moved to a weekday, and none is shown as moved.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in North Korea

What is the Day of the Sun in North Korea?

The birthday of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the state, born on 15 April 1912, and the central holiday of the year. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday 15 April and in 2027 on Thursday 15 April. The same year 1912 is the start of the Juche calendar, so 2026 is Juche 115.

When is the Day of the Shining Star?

On 16 February, the birthday of Kim Jong Il, the second leader, born in 1942. It falls on Monday 16 February 2026, the day before Lunar New Year on Tuesday 17 February, and on Tuesday 16 February 2027. With the Day of the Sun it is one of the two birthdays that head the official calendar.

Does North Korea celebrate Lunar New Year and Chuseok?

Yes. Both follow the Korean lunar calendar and are public holidays: Lunar New Year fell on Tuesday 17 February in 2026 and falls on Saturday 6 February in 2027, and Chuseok, the harvest festival, on Friday 25 September 2026. The list used here does not yet give Chuseok for 2027.

Which political anniversaries are days off?

The founding of the army on 8 February, the armistice of 27 July 1953, liberation on 15 August, the founding of the republic on 9 September, the founding of the Workers' Party on 10 October and the socialist constitution of 1972 on 27 December. The Day of Songun on 25 August was added in 2013, and Mother's Day on 16 November in 2012.

What is Daeboreum?

The first full moon of the lunar year, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, kept as a public holiday in North Korea; timeanddate calls it Cheongwoldaeboreum. In 2026 it falls on Tuesday 3 March, two weeks after Lunar New Year. The list for 2027 used here does not yet include it, so no 2027 date is shown.

Is Christmas a public holiday in North Korea?

No. Neither list on file includes 25 December. The nearest dates are Constitution Day on 27 December, a day off, and, in Wikipedia's longer list, the birthday of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Jong Il's mother, on 24 December, which timeanddate does not list as a holiday at all.

Why does North Korea's army day fall on 8 February?

The Korean People's Army was founded on 8 February 1948. The day was kept as Army Day until 1978, when it was moved to 25 April, the date given for the formation of Kim Il Sung's guerrilla force, and in 2015 it was moved back to 8 February. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday and in 2027 on Monday 8 February.

Dates from Written from the sources, read 2026-10-02. The page counts from Saturday, 3 October 2026, the day it was built.