🎌 Korean Public Holidays

Date	Holiday	Day

What are Korean public holidays?

Korean public holidays are official days off set by the Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices. They include fixed-date holidays such as New Year (Jan 1), Independence Movement Day (Mar 1), Children's Day (May 5), Memorial Day (Jun 6), Liberation Day (Aug 15), National Foundation Day (Oct 3), Hangeul Day (Oct 9), and Christmas (Dec 25), as well as the lunar-calendar holidays Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok. This tool shows the major fixed solar-date national holidays along with the day of the week for each year.

Substitute holidays

The substitute holiday system designates the next weekday as a day off when a holiday falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or overlaps with another holiday. It currently applies to Seollal, Chuseok, Children's Day, Independence Movement Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, Buddha's Birthday, and Christmas. Whether a substitute holiday applies can change each year by government announcement, so check official notices for actual dates.

Public holidays and labor law

Since 2022, workplaces with five or more employees must treat statutory public holidays as paid days off. Employees are paid even when resting on a holiday, and those who must work receive holiday work allowance (at least 1.5 times ordinary wages). Workplaces with fewer than five employees may be exempt from the paid-holiday requirement, so check your employment contract and work rules.

Frequently asked questions

Are lunar holidays (Seollal, Chuseok) shown?

This tool shows holidays with fixed solar-calendar dates. Seollal and Chuseok are based on the lunar calendar and shift each year, so check the lunar conversion for that year separately.

Are substitute holidays calculated?

This tool shows the dates and weekdays of the base statutory holidays. Substitute holidays vary each year by government notice and require separate verification.