South Korea Public Holidays 2026
See every South Korea public holiday for 2026 at a glance, plus the smartest days to use your annual leave.
Counting holidays left…
Holiday list
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | New Year's Day | Public holiday | |
| Mon | Seollal holiday | Public holiday | |
| Tue | Seollal (Lunar New Year) | Public holiday | |
| Wed | Seollal holiday | Public holiday | |
| Sun | Independence Movement Day | Public holiday | |
| Mon | Substitute holiday (Independence Movement Day) | Substitute holiday | |
| Fri | Labor Day | Public holiday | |
| Tue | Children's Day | Public holiday | |
| Sun | Buddha's Birthday | Public holiday | |
| Mon | Substitute holiday (Buddha's Birthday) | Substitute holiday | |
| Wed | Local Elections Day | Election day | |
| Sat | Memorial Day | Public holiday | |
| Fri | Constitution Day | Public holiday | |
| Sat | Liberation Day | Public holiday | |
| Mon | Substitute holiday (Liberation Day) | Substitute holiday | |
| Thu | Chuseok holiday | Public holiday | |
| Fri | Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) | Public holiday | |
| Sat | Chuseok holiday | Public holiday | |
| Sat | National Foundation Day | Public holiday | |
| Mon | Substitute holiday (National Foundation Day) | Substitute holiday | |
| Fri | Hangeul Day | Public holiday | |
| Fri | Christmas Day | Public holiday |
What's different in 2026
- Labor Day (May 1) and Constitution Day (Jul 17) became official public holidays under a rule change effective 1 May 2026.
- Jun 3 is a public holiday for nationwide local elections.
- Memorial Day (Jun 6, Sat) does not get a substitute holiday under the current rules.
- The last day of Chuseok (Sep 26) falls on a Saturday, but Seollal and Chuseok only get substitute holidays when they overlap a Sunday or another holiday, so no substitute is added this time.
Long weekends (3+ days)
Holidays that connect with the weekend for 3 or more days off in 2026.
- Seollal holiday · Sat, February 14 – Wed, February 18 · 5 days off
- Independence Movement Day · Sat, February 28 – Mon, March 2 · 3 days off
- Labor Day · Fri, May 1 – Sun, May 3 · 3 days off
- Buddha's Birthday · Sat, May 23 – Mon, May 25 · 3 days off
- Constitution Day · Fri, July 17 – Sun, July 19 · 3 days off
- Liberation Day · Sat, August 15 – Mon, August 17 · 3 days off
- Chuseok holiday · Thu, September 24 – Sun, September 27 · 4 days off
- National Foundation Day · Sat, October 3 – Mon, October 5 · 3 days off
- Hangeul Day · Fri, October 9 – Sun, October 11 · 3 days off
- Christmas Day · Fri, December 25 – Sun, December 27 · 3 days off
Make the most of your leave
Taking just 1 or 2 days of leave can turn a holiday into a much longer break. (Mon-Fri work week, top 5 shown)
Take 1 day of leave
Fri, February 13 – Wed, February 18 · 6 days off
Book leave on: 2/13
Sat, February 14 – Thu, February 19 · 6 days off
Book leave on: 2/19
Fri, May 1 – Tue, May 5 · 5 days off
Book leave on: 5/4
Wed, September 23 – Sun, September 27 · 5 days off
Book leave on: 9/23
Thu, September 24 – Mon, September 28 · 5 days off
Book leave on: 9/28
Take 2 days of leave
Sat, February 14 – Sun, February 22 · 9 days off
Book leave on: 2/19, 2/20
Thu, February 12 – Wed, February 18 · 7 days off
Book leave on: 2/12, 2/13
Fri, February 13 – Thu, February 19 · 7 days off
Book leave on: 2/13, 2/19
Thu, April 30 – Tue, May 5 · 6 days off
Book leave on: 4/30, 5/4
Fri, May 1 – Wed, May 6 · 6 days off
Book leave on: 5/4, 5/6
Assumes a Mon-Fri work week; company holidays and shift schedules aren't reflected. Spans crossing into the next year (Dec 31 to Jan 1) aren't included.
Check your unused leave pay with the Annual Leave Pay CalculatorMonthly calendar for 2026
See public and substitute holidays laid out month by month.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1New Year's Day | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16Seollal holiday | 17Seollal (Lunar New Year) | 18Seollal holiday | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Independence Movement Day | 2Substitute holiday (Independence Movement Day) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Labor Day | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5Children's Day | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24Buddha's Birthday | 25Substitute holiday (Buddha's Birthday) | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3Local Elections Day | 4 | 5 | 6Memorial Day | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17Constitution Day | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15Liberation Day |
| 16 | 17Substitute holiday (Liberation Day) | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24Chuseok holiday | 25Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) | 26Chuseok holiday |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3National Foundation Day | ||||
| 4 | 5Substitute holiday (National Foundation Day) | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9Hangeul Day | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25Christmas Day | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
How substitute holidays work
A substitute holiday moves a public holiday to the next non-holiday weekday when it overlaps a weekend or another holiday.
- If the Seollal or Chuseok holiday overlaps a Sunday or another holiday, the next non-holiday weekday becomes a substitute holiday.
- If Independence Movement Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, Buddha's Birthday, Labor Day, Children's Day, or Christmas Day overlaps a Saturday, Sunday, or another holiday, the next non-holiday weekday becomes a substitute holiday.
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, and election days are never eligible for a substitute holiday.
2026 holiday rule change
Presidential Decree No. 36290 (amending the Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices) was issued on 30 April 2026 and took effect on 1 May 2026.
Under this change, Labor Day (May 1) and Constitution Day (Jul 17) were newly designated as public holidays for government offices.
Tips for planning around holidays
- Book bridge-day leave early — these dates fill up fast.
- Flights, trains, and hotels sell out quickly around Seollal and Chuseok, so book ahead.
- Workplaces with 5+ employees must treat these as paid holidays by law, but employers can swap one for another working day with the employee representative's written agreement — check your company's work rules or HR team.
- If you have unused leave left, check the Annual Leave Pay Calculator to see what it's worth.
Does this apply to private companies too?
Under Labor Standards Act §55(2), workplaces with 5 or more employees must give paid leave on the holidays listed in the Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices (excluding Sundays) plus any substitute holidays. This took effect for workplaces with 5-29 employees on 1 January 2022; workplaces with fewer than 5 employees aren't covered. An employer can swap a holiday for another working day instead, if agreed in writing with the employee representative. If a temporary holiday is designated, check the Ministry of Employment and Labor's guidance for how it applies to private employers.
Are temporary holidays included?
The government can designate additional temporary holidays. This page will be updated when one is announced — none are included in the current list.
Frequently asked questions
- How many public holidays does 2026 have?
- 2026 has 22 public holidays in total, including 4 substitute holidays. 16 of them fall on a weekday (not overlapping a weekend).
- What's the longest holiday break in 2026?
- Seollal holiday is the longest break of 2026 — Sat, February 14 to Wed, February 18 (5 days).
- How many days off can I get with 1-2 days of leave?
- Taking 1 day of leave (2/13) gets you Fri, February 13 to Wed, February 18 off (6 days). Taking 2 days (2/19, 2/20) gets you Sat, February 14 to Sun, February 22 off (9 days), assuming a Mon-Fri work week.
- How are substitute holidays decided?
- Seollal and Chuseok get a substitute holiday only when they overlap a Sunday or another holiday. Most other major holidays get one when they overlap a Saturday, Sunday, or another holiday. New Year's Day, Memorial Day, and election days are never eligible.
- Why did Korea add more public holidays in 2026?
- Presidential Decree No. 36290, effective 1 May 2026, newly designated Labor Day (May 1) and Constitution Day (Jul 17) as public holidays for government offices.
- Do private companies observe all these holidays?
- Not necessarily. The government holiday regulation applies to government offices; private employers follow the Labor Standards Act, their own work rules, and employment contracts. Confirm with your employer's HR team or the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
- Are temporary holidays included in this list?
- No. The government can designate temporary holidays separately, and this page will be updated when one is announced.
Related pages
Official Sources
Always verify with the official sources below
- Government
KASI Astronomy Portal — 2026 calendar data
Official calendar data from the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
- Government
Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices — amendment notes (Korea Law Information Center)
Presidential Decree No. 36290 amendment rationale
- Government
Ministry of Personnel Management — Public holiday system
Official guidance on the public holiday system
- Government
Ministry of Employment and Labor — private-sector application of government holidays
Guidance on the Labor Standards Act §55(2) paid-holiday requirement for workplaces with 5+ employees