COUNTRYSpec

Public holidays in South Korea

22 days in 2026 · 21 in 2027

Back to South KoreaEast Asia

Next public holiday

National Foundation Day

개천절

After it: Substitute Holiday, Monday 5 October

Saturday, 3 October 2026

South Korea's days off are set by the Regulations on Holidays of Public Agencies, written for government offices and followed by most employers. They combine two calendars. Seollal and Chuseok each close three days around a date in the lunar calendar, and Buddha's Birthday falls on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, so all three move against the solar year: in 2026 Seollal runs from Monday 16 to Wednesday 18 February and Chuseok from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September.

The rest are fixed in the solar calendar, and most of them are political. Four of the five national days are about the nation and its state: 1 March for the independence movement of 1919, 17 July for the constitution of 1948, 15 August for liberation in 1945 and 3 October for the legendary founding of Gojoseon. Hangul Day on 9 October is the fifth. When one of them falls on a weekend a substitute day follows, and in 2026 that happens four times, on Monday 2 March, Monday 25 May, Monday 17 August and Monday 5 October.

Two additions are recent. Labour Day on 1 May, known as Workers' Day from 1963 to 2025, becomes a public holiday for the first time in 2026, and scheduled national elections are days off as well, always on a Wednesday: the local elections of 3 June 2026 close offices across the country.

Days off in 2026
22Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
16Monday to Friday
On a weekend
6Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
10and 2 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in South Korea in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's Day새해New Year's Day, Sinjeong in Korean, the new-calendar new year. It is one day off, against three for the lunar new year.Thursday
  2. 16 February: Lunar New Year설날Seollal, the lunar new year, the first day of the first lunar month, with the day before and the day after. Families honour their ancestors and eat rice-cake soup. The colonial government prohibited it, and it became an official holiday again between 1945 and 1950.MondayDate moves
  3. 17 February: Lunar New Year설날Seollal, the lunar new year, the first day of the first lunar month, with the day before and the day after. Families honour their ancestors and eat rice-cake soup. The colonial government prohibited it, and it became an official holiday again between 1945 and 1950.TuesdayDate moves
  4. 18 February: Lunar New Year설날Seollal, the lunar new year, the first day of the first lunar month, with the day before and the day after. Families honour their ancestors and eat rice-cake soup. The colonial government prohibited it, and it became an official holiday again between 1945 and 1950.WednesdayDate moves
  5. 1 March: Independence Movement Day3·1절Independence Movement Day, for 1 March 1919, when 33 nationalists and students declared independence in Seoul and set off nationwide protests. It was first set down as a holiday in 1946.Sunday
  6. 2 March: Substitute Holiday대체공휴일A substitute holiday, the day off given when a holiday falls on a weekend. In 2026 there are four, all Mondays; in 2027 there are four more, the first on Tuesday 9 February after Seollal.MondayDate moves
  7. 1 May: Labour Day노동절Labour Day, for workers. It was Workers' Day from 1963 to 2025, renamed in 2025, and a public holiday from 2026.Friday
  8. 5 May: Children's Day어린이날Children's Day, first declared on 1 May 1922 by eight people including Bang Jeong-hwan, moved to 5 May in 1946 and a public holiday since 1975.Tuesday
  9. 24 May: Buddha's Birthday부처님 오신 날Buddha's Birthday, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, once called Seokgatansinil. In 2026 it falls on Sunday 24 May and the substitute is Monday 25 May.SundayDate moves
  10. 25 May: Substitute Holiday대체공휴일A substitute holiday, the day off given when a holiday falls on a weekend. In 2026 there are four, all Mondays; in 2027 there are four more, the first on Tuesday 9 February after Seollal.MondayDate moves
  11. 3 June: Local Election Day지방 선거일The day of the nationwide local elections, a day off because scheduled elections are public holidays. Election days always fall on a Wednesday.WednesdayDate moves
  12. 6 June: Memorial Day현충일Memorial Day, for those who died in military service or in the independence movement. The national ceremony is held at the Seoul and Daejeon national cemeteries, and flags fly at half-mast.Saturday
  13. 17 July: Constitution Day제헌절Constitution Day, for the promulgation of the constitution in 1948. It is one of the national days set down by law in 1949.Friday
  14. 15 August: Liberation Day광복절Liberation Day, for the end of Japanese rule on 15 August 1945 and the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea on the same date in 1948. Gwangbok means the restoration of light.Saturday
  15. 17 August: Substitute Holiday대체공휴일A substitute holiday, the day off given when a holiday falls on a weekend. In 2026 there are four, all Mondays; in 2027 there are four more, the first on Tuesday 9 February after Seollal.MondayDate moves
  16. 24 September: Chuseok추석Chuseok, the harvest festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, with the day before and after. Families visit their ancestral hometowns and eat songpyeon, filled rice cakes.ThursdayDate moves
  17. 25 September: Chuseok추석Chuseok, the harvest festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, with the day before and after. Families visit their ancestral hometowns and eat songpyeon, filled rice cakes.FridayDate moves
  18. 26 September: Chuseok추석Chuseok, the harvest festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, with the day before and after. Families visit their ancestral hometowns and eat songpyeon, filled rice cakes.SaturdayDate moves
  19. 3 October: National Foundation Day개천절National Foundation Day, Gaecheonjeol, the day heaven opened. The Samguk Yusa places the founding of Gojoseon by Dangun on the third day of the tenth lunar month in 2333 BC; the day is kept on 3 October in the solar calendar.Saturday
  20. 5 October: Substitute Holiday대체공휴일A substitute holiday, the day off given when a holiday falls on a weekend. In 2026 there are four, all Mondays; in 2027 there are four more, the first on Tuesday 9 February after Seollal.MondayDate moves
  21. 9 October: Hangul Day한글날Hangul Day, for the creation of the Korean alphabet in 1443 and its proclamation in 1446. It became the fifth national day in 2005.Friday
  22. 25 December: Christmas Day크리스마스Christmas, also called Seongtanjeol, a day off like the Buddhist holiday in May.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in South 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
  • 5daysSat 14 Feb to Wed 18 FebLunar New Year, Lunar New Year, Lunar New Year
  • 3daysSat 28 Feb to Mon 2 MarIndependence Movement Day, Substitute Holiday
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 5daysFri 1 May to Tue 5 MayWith Mon 4 May taken as leave · Labour Day, Children's Day
  • 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayBuddha's Birthday, Substitute Holiday
  • 3daysFri 17 Jul to Sun 19 JulConstitution Day
  • 3daysSat 15 Aug to Mon 17 AugLiberation Day, Substitute Holiday
  • 4daysThu 24 Sept to Sun 27 SeptChuseok, Chuseok, Chuseok
  • 3daysSat 3 Oct to Mon 5 OctNational Foundation Day, Substitute Holiday
  • 3daysFri 9 Oct to Sun 11 OctHangul Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in South Korea in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's Day새해Friday
  2. 6 February: Lunar New Year설날SaturdayDate moves
  3. 7 February: Lunar New Year설날SundayDate moves
  4. 8 February: Lunar New Year설날MondayDate moves
  5. 9 February: Substitute Holiday대체공휴일TuesdayDate moves
  6. 1 March: Independence Movement Day3·1절Monday
  7. 1 May: Labour Day노동절Saturday
  8. 5 May: Children's Day어린이날Wednesday
  9. 13 May: Buddha's Birthday부처님 오신 날ThursdayDate moves
  10. 6 June: Memorial Day현충일Sunday
  11. 17 July: Constitution Day제헌절Saturday
  12. 15 August: Liberation Day광복절Sunday
  13. 16 August: Substitute Holiday대체공휴일MondayDate moves
  14. 14 September: Chuseok추석TuesdayDate moves
  15. 15 September: Chuseok추석WednesdayDate moves
  16. 16 September: Chuseok추석ThursdayDate moves
  17. 3 October: National Foundation Day개천절Sunday
  18. 4 October: Substitute Holiday대체공휴일MondayDate moves
  19. 9 October: Hangul Day한글날Saturday
  20. 11 October: Substitute Holiday대체공휴일MondayDate moves
  21. 25 December: Christmas Day크리스마스Saturday

Three terms overlap in the law. A national day, of which there are five, is a day of celebration under the law of 1949 on national days, extended to Hangul Day in 2005. A flag day, under the Act on the Flag, is a day when the Taegeukgi is displayed, and includes Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day on 1 October, which is not a day off. A public holiday is a day off under the regulations for public agencies. All five national days are also days off.

The provider's calendar lists the substitute days under the names of the holidays they replace. The dates here have been set back to the holidays' own days, with each substitute shown separately, as the customs service's English list of the 2026 holidays shows them.

Only scheduled elections close the country: presidential, legislative and local elections at the end of a term. By-elections and referendums are not days off, although the early presidential election of 9 May 2017, held after an impeachment, was declared a temporary holiday.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in South Korea

When is Seollal in 2027?

The lunar new year falls on Sunday 7 February 2027, so the three days off run from Saturday 6 to Monday 8 February. Because the new year's day itself lands on a Sunday, Tuesday 9 February is a substitute holiday. In 2026 Seollal ran from Monday 16 to Wednesday 18 February.

When is Chuseok in 2026?

From Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September 2026, with the festival itself on Friday 25 September, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. In 2027 it runs from Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 September. Many South Koreans travel to their ancestral hometowns over these days, and families prepare songpyeon rice cakes.

What is a substitute holiday in South Korea?

A day off given when a holiday falls on a weekend, usually the following Monday. In 2026 there are four: Monday 2 March for Independence Movement Day on a Sunday, 25 May for Buddha's Birthday, 17 August for Liberation Day on a Saturday and 5 October for National Foundation Day. In 2027 there are four, from Tuesday 9 February to Monday 11 October.

Is Labour Day a day off in South Korea?

From 2026, yes. The day on 1 May was called Workers' Day from 1963 to 2025, was renamed Labour Day in 2025 and became a public holiday in 2026. In 2026 it falls on a Friday, which with the weekend gives three days off from 1 to 3 May, and in 2027 on a Saturday.

Why are election days holidays in South Korea?

The holiday regulations include the day of every scheduled election at the end of a term, presidential, legislative or local, so that people can vote. These are always held on a Wednesday. The nationwide local elections of Wednesday 3 June 2026 are a day off; by-elections and referendums are not.

Is Christmas a public holiday in South Korea?

Yes. Christmas Day, 25 December, is one of the public holidays, alongside Buddha's Birthday in May, so Christianity and Buddhism each have a day off. It falls on a Friday in 2026, giving a three-day weekend, and on a Saturday in 2027. Among Korean Christians it is commonly called Seongtanjeol.

What does National Foundation Day mark?

The founding of Gojoseon, the first Korean state, by the legendary Dangun. The Samguk Yusa places it on the third day of the tenth lunar month in 2333 BC, and for convenience the holiday is kept on 3 October in the solar calendar. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday, with Monday 5 October as a substitute day.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-30. The page counts from Thursday, 1 October 2026, the day it was built.