South Korea 2026 public holiday guide
Korea’s public holidays include New Year’s Day, Seollal (Lunar New Year), Independence Movement Day, Children’s Day, Buddha’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Liberation Day, Chuseok, National Foundation Day, Hangul Day, and Christmas. Seollal and Chuseok are the biggest family travel peaks.
For Seoul or Busan trips, avoid the first and last days of those long breaks when possible. For business, expect slower responses during the holiday windows.
Confirm substitute holidays in the official annual notice.
Planning tips
- Seollal and Chuseok: transport sells out fast.
- Children’s Day (5 May): family travel peak.
- Liberation Day / National Foundation Day: civic commemorations.
- Christmas: retail-focused more than a long family exodus.
South Korea 2026 public holiday table
This 2026 view lists 20 public holiday dates for South Korea. The earliest entry is 2026-01-01 (New Year's Day, Thu) and the latest is 2026-12-25 (Christmas Day). The longest consecutive block in the dataset is about 3 days (2026-02-16–2026-02-18). The table below is fully readable without JavaScript.
| Date | Weekday | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Thu | New Year's Day |
| 2026-02-16 | Mon | Seollal (Korean New Year) |
| 2026-02-17 | Tue | Seollal (Korean New Year) |
| 2026-02-18 | Wed | Seollal (Korean New Year) |
| 2026-03-01 | Sun | Independence Movement Day |
| 2026-03-02 | Mon | Independence Movement Day (substitute) |
| 2026-05-01 | Fri | Labour Day |
| 2026-05-05 | Tue | Children's Day |
| 2026-05-24 | Sun | Birthday of the Buddha |
| 2026-05-25 | Mon | Buddha's Birthday (substitute) |
| 2026-06-06 | Sat | Memorial Day |
| 2026-08-15 | Sat | Liberation Day |
| 2026-08-17 | Mon | Liberation Day (substitute) |
| 2026-09-24 | Thu | Chuseok |
| 2026-09-25 | Fri | Chuseok |
| 2026-09-26 | Sat | Chuseok |
| 2026-10-03 | Sat | National Foundation Day |
| 2026-10-05 | Mon | National Foundation Day (substitute) |
| 2026-10-09 | Fri | Hangul Day |
| 2026-12-25 | Fri | Christmas Day |
Note: Compiled from public notices for planning. Confirm critical dates with official sources.
Public holidays and substitute days
Korea’s national public holidays close government offices and most large firms. Smaller shops and hospitals often roster staff. Substitute holidays (대체공휴일) move certain public holidays that fall on Saturday, Sunday or another holiday to the next weekday. In 2026 the pattern is clear: 1 March (Sunday) → Monday 2 March; 15 August (Saturday) → Monday 17 August; 3 October (Saturday) → Monday 5 October; 24 May Buddha’s Birthday (Sunday) → Monday 25 May.
Which holidays qualify for substitutes is set by regulation and presidential decree. It is not Japan’s mechanical “every Sunday national holiday rolls forward” rule. Recheck the year’s official list rather than relying on a static ICS feed.
Temporary public holidays are sometimes declared for major events. Refresh the coverage calendar each quarter. Labour Day on 1 May is widely observed by employers; whether it matches your unit’s public-holiday roster still follows company notice.
How 2026 lays out: two homecomings, many substitute Mondays
The year is shaped by two mass homecomings — Seollal and Chuseok — plus civic commemorations. Substitute Mondays create extra three-day weekends for five-day office teams, while factory and freight slowdowns often outlast the gazetted count.
- 1 January — New Year’s Day
- 16–18 February — Seollal
- 1 March — Independence Movement Day (2 March substitute)
- 1 May — Labour Day; 5 May — Children’s Day; 24 May — Buddha’s Birthday (25 May substitute)
- 6 June — Memorial Day
- 15 August — Liberation Day (17 August substitute)
- 24–26 September — Chuseok
- 3 October — National Foundation Day (5 October substitute); 9 October — Hangul Day
- 25 December — Christmas Day
Seollal and Chuseok
These are the two homecoming peaks. Lunar New Year’s Day in 2026 is 17 February, shared with China and Vietnam. Korea typically observes the day plus the days around it; this site’s cover is 16–18 February, and weekends or substitutes can stretch the pause. KTX, expressways and Incheon Airport jam at both ends.
Chuseok falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month; in 2026 the block is 24–26 September, close to Mid-Autumn in China. Factories and logistics slow more than the three gazetted days imply. Write buffer into delivery clauses.
Book travel for the shoulder days. Seoul can feel empty while hometowns and expressway service areas overflow.
Civic dates through the year
Independence Movement Day is 1 March (substitute 2 March 2026). Children’s Day on 5 May is a family-travel peak and sits near Japan’s Golden Week tail — a bad fortnight for a Seoul–Tokyo sales loop. Put bilateral meetings after 7 May.
Memorial Day on 6 June is quieter and more formal. Liberation Day on 15 August 2026 is a Saturday, with a substitute on Monday 17 August — the same Monday as Indonesian Independence Day. National Foundation Day (3 October), Hangul Day (9 October) and Japan’s Sports Day (12 October) then stack an East Asian autumn cluster. Do not book a Seoul–Shanghai–Tokyo review loop across that fortnight.
Buddha’s Birthday is 24 May 2026 (25 May substitute). Christmas is a public holiday; retail is busy, family exodus is weaker than Seollal.
What closes, and how Korea sits next to China and Japan
Banks and government counters close. Convenience stores and metro lines usually run. “The city looks open” is not evidence that your counterpart is working — Myeongdong can be busy on Children’s Day while sales visits fail.
Versus China: lunar dates align for Seollal and often for Chuseok / Mid-Autumn, but Korea has no mainland-style tiaoxiu seven-day construction. Mainland China’s 2026 Spring Festival block runs to 23 February; Korea’s gazetted leave is shorter, yet freight still slows on both shoulders.
Versus Japan: Children’s Day hugs Golden Week’s tail; Liberation Day’s substitute overlaps Indonesia; early October is a regional blackout for joint launches. Colour Seollal, Children’s Day, Chuseok and substitute Mondays separately.
Travel, tickets and shoulder strategy
For Seollal and Chuseok, shoulder dates — two days before or one day after — are usually easier and cheaper than mid-peak. Expressway jams cluster on the afternoon before and the morning after.
Children’s Day lifts theme parks, zoos and family hotel rooms. Memorial Day and Independence Movement Day are more ceremonial; tourism price curves are milder.
Passport holders may still need staffed gates at some stations. Build transfer time in peak weeks.
Cross-border work and supply chain
Seollal and Chuseok are the two windows that belong in every delivery buffer. Electronics and auto supply chains decelerate hard; do not equate three gazetted days with three days of plant downtime.
17 August 2026 hits Korea and Indonesia together; early October stacks East Asian commemorations. Both stretches are blacklist weeks for multi-city sign-off. Early May needs the same caution for Korea–Japan roadshows.
The common remote-team failure is importing festival days and missing substitute Mondays. Colour 대체공휴일 separately and label them clearly.
Seoul empties, the expressways fill: the geography of homecoming
During Seollal and Chuseok, central Seoul office districts thin out while hometowns and expressway service areas peak. For visitors, palaces and museums can feel pleasantly walkable; for sales calls, buildings are empty. Do not use Myeongdong crowds to judge whether a counterpart is on duty — tourist strips and office floors diverge in these weeks.
KTX and express coaches are hardest to buy at both ends of the holiday. The shoulder strategy is not only for tourism: if you must inspect right after Chuseok, pre-position people near the plant rather than gambling on a Seoul departure the first morning back. Incheon and Gimpo fares rise around the peaks; book international connections early.
Convenience stores, some department stores and cinemas stay open; many family restaurants pause. Foreign residents in apartment belts may feel a quiet city that still has lights on — different from a mainland Spring Festival empty-city feeling, and different from Japan’s Obon rhythm.
If the company pays hometown-travel support or holiday duty premiums, publish the rules two weeks ahead so the duty list is not still being argued in chat three days before.
Substitutes, Labour Day and calendar-import detail
When importing Korea into a global HR calendar, substitute Mondays are the usual miss. An ICS feed that only carries named festival days will show 2 March, 25 May, 17 August and 5 October 2026 as ordinary workdays and happily book meetings on them. After import, spot-check against the official list and label substitutes in readable English or Chinese — not leftover abbreviations.
Labour Day on 1 May is widely observed by employers, but its shutdown scope is not identical to Independence Movement Day or Children’s Day. Government counters, schools and large firms may diverge. Do not assume Labour Day follows the same counter logic as Children’s Day when you need a stamp.
Versus China, Korea has no tiaoxiu make-up Saturdays, but it does have substitute Mondays. Versus Japan, Children’s Day hugs Golden Week’s tail, and Liberation Day’s substitute can collide with Indonesian Independence Day. Manage East Asia as blackout clusters, not as single-country day bets.
This page is not legal advice. Public-holiday recognition, substitute scope and wage calculation follow Korean government publications and employer rules.
Pitfalls that keep repeating
Substitute holidays are not a perfect mirror of Japan’s furikae system; scope follows the year’s official list.
Street activity is a poor proxy for office attendance — especially on Children’s Day and Christmas.
Same lunar date as China does not mean the same leave length.
Labour Day observance varies by employer; do not assume every government counter matches the private roster.
Treat early October as an East Asia blackout for joint launches. This page is a planning reference; confirm against the official public-holiday list and your employer’s notice.
- Confirm substitute Mondays before importing a feed
- Book Seollal and Chuseok travel for the shoulder days
- 17 August 2026 hits Korea and Indonesia together
- Treat early October as an East Asia blackout for joint launches
- Street activity is a poor proxy for office attendance
- Put Korea–Japan bilateral meetings after 7 May
Cross-border planning notes
Korea’s Seollal and Chuseok are the biggest homecoming peaks — similar timing to China’s Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn, but different customs and transport patterns. Children’s Day (5 May) often sits near Japan’s Golden Week tail.
Where these dates come from
Korea dates follow the regulations on public holidays of government offices, including substitute public holidays.
Primary references for verification
- Korea Legislation Research Institute: Public holidays regulation
- Korea Aerospace Administration: 2026 calendar data
Korea FAQ
Is Seollal the same day as China’s Spring Festival, and how long is leave?
The lunar date is the same in 2026 (17 February). Korea typically covers the day plus adjacent days — this site lists 16–18 February — and weekends or substitutes can extend it. Mainland China runs through 23 February. Lengths differ; freight slows on both sides either way.
How do substitute holidays work, and which 2026 dates matter?
When listed public holidays fall on a weekend or another holiday, the next weekday is often off. 2026 examples include 2 March, 25 May, 17 August and 5 October. Confirm against the year’s official list.
Does every workplace close on Children’s Day, and how do I avoid Japan’s Golden Week?
Government and most large firms yes; hospitals and retail roster. It is a poor day for sales visits. Children’s Day on 5 May sits near the Golden Week tail — put bilateral Seoul–Tokyo meetings after 7 May.
Is Chuseok the same as China’s Mid-Autumn Festival?
Both sit around the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. In 2026 Korea’s Chuseok block is 24–26 September, close to China’s Mid-Autumn window. Customs and leave length differ; Korean factory downtime often outlasts three gazetted days.
Is Christmas a public holiday, and if shops are open is the office open?
Christmas is a public holiday — more of a retail peak than a long family shutdown. Convenience stores and malls may be open while offices rest. Use the company calendar, not street activity.
Does Labour Day on 1 May close government counters?
Many employers observe it, but exact alignment with statutory public holidays and government duty rosters follows the year’s arrangements and unit notices. Confirm before booking counter-only filings; do not assume the same shutdown logic as Children’s Day.
Why are 17 August and early October special in 2026?
17 August is Liberation Day’s substitute and Indonesian Independence Day on the same Monday — a dual miss for Korea–Indonesia work. Early October stacks Foundation Day’s substitute, Hangul Day and Japan’s Sports Day. Keep those stretches for async docs, not synchronous sign-off.
How should I book travel for Seollal or Chuseok?
Prefer shoulder dates — two days before or one day after — which are usually easier than mid-peak. KTX and domestic flights tighten at both ends; avoid expressway peaks on the afternoon before and morning after. Build transfer time if you need staffed ticket gates.
Is Seoul good for tourism during Seollal? What about client visits?
Tourism often works — the centre is quieter and sights are walkable. Client visits usually do not — counterparts have gone home. Keep sales and inspections off Seollal/Chuseok peaks, or move them to the plant location with a confirmed duty roster.
Why do calendar imports miss substitute holidays?
Many ICS feeds carry only the named festival day, not the substitute Monday. In 2026, 2 March, 25 May, 17 August and 5 October are the usual traps. Spot-check the official list after import and label substitutes clearly.
Is Seollal the same day as China’s Spring Festival?
Usually the same lunar date, but leave length and customs differ.
Are there substitute holidays?
Some public holidays that fall on Sunday may get a replacement day.
Do convenience stores close?
Most stay open; government offices and banks usually close.