Korean Public Holidays Public Holiday Regulation · Oct 2026
Official Korean public holidays — fixed solar dates plus lunar festivals (Seollal, Chuseok, Buddha's Birthday) with substitute days.
※ 2024-2030, 7 years hardcoded, including Labor Day and Constitution Day (from 2026), regular election days and announced temporary holidays. Temporary holidays declared later are added after announcement. Sources: KASI lunar conversion + Korean Public Holiday Regulation.
Korean Public Holidays 2027 at a Glance
Korea has 72 official public holidays in 2027, counting Sundays — 119 days off in total on a five-day week. 20 of them fall on days other than Sunday, including 7 substitute holidays. Labor Day (May 1) and Constitution Day (July 17), both public holidays since 2026, fall on Saturdays, so May 3 and July 19 are substitute days; Christmas (Saturday, Dec 25) gets a substitute on Dec 27. Memorial Day (June 6) falls on a Sunday but never gets a substitute day.
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Fri | New Year's Day |
| Feb 6 | Sat | Seollal Holiday |
| Feb 7 | Sun | Seollal (Lunar New Year) |
| Feb 8 | Mon | Seollal Holiday |
| Feb 9 | Tue | Seollal Substitute |
| Mar 1 | Mon | Independence Movement Day |
| May 1 | Sat | Labor Day |
| May 3 | Mon | Labor Day Substitute |
| May 5 | Wed | Children's Day |
| May 13 | Thu | Buddha's Birthday |
| Jun 6 | Sun | Memorial Day |
| Jul 17 | Sat | Constitution Day |
| Jul 19 | Mon | Constitution Day Substitute |
| Aug 15 | Sun | Liberation Day |
| Aug 16 | Mon | Liberation Day Substitute |
| Sep 14 | Tue | Chuseok Holiday |
| Sep 15 | Wed | Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) |
| Sep 16 | Thu | Chuseok Holiday |
| Oct 3 | Sun | National Foundation Day |
| Oct 4 | Mon | Foundation Day Substitute |
| Oct 9 | Sat | Hangeul Day |
| Oct 11 | Mon | Hangeul Day Substitute |
| Dec 25 | Sat | Christmas Day |
| Dec 27 | Mon | Christmas Substitute |
10 long weekends of 3+ days: Jan 1–3, Feb 6–9 (4 days), Feb 27–Mar 1, May 1–3, Jul 17–19, Aug 14–16, Sep 14–16, Oct 2–4, Oct 9–11, Dec 25–27.
Source: KASI 2027 almanac (월력요항) and the Regulation on Public Holidays of Government Offices §2–3 (amended Apr 30, 2026). Ad-hoc temporary holidays the government may declare later are not included.
📌 Official Sources · References
- Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) — Lunar-Solar Calendar Conversion · Official source for lunar festival (Seollal, Chuseok, Buddha's Birthday) solar date conversion
- Korea National Law Information Center — Public Holiday Regulation (관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정) · Legal basis for Korean public holidays + substitute holiday rules (amended Apr 30, 2026: Labor Day and Constitution Day added)
- KASI — 2027 almanac (월력요항) public holiday table · Cross-check for the 2027 holiday and substitute dates
- Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) · Official source for ad-hoc holiday declarations (2023 Chuseok bridge, 2025 Seollal bridge, etc.)
- Korea.net · English-language official channel for Korean cultural events, public holidays, and government announcements
This calendar covers 2024-2030 Korean public holidays under the Public Holiday Regulation, including lunar festivals converted to solar dates + substitute holiday rules. Government may declare additional ad-hoc holidays — check Korea.net or MOIS announcements before booking flights or scheduling visa appointments.
FAQ
What's a substitute holiday?
When a public holiday overlaps a weekend or another public holiday, the next non-holiday weekday becomes a substitute holiday (Public Holiday Regulation §3). National days (Independence Movement Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day), Buddha's Birthday, Labor Day, Children's Day and Christmas qualify when they fall on a Saturday or Sunday; the 3-day Seollal and Chuseok breaks qualify only when they include a Sunday. New Year's Day (Jan 1), Memorial Day (June 6) and election days never get substitute days — e.g., Memorial Day 2027 falls on a Sunday with no substitute, while Christmas 2027 (Saturday) is followed by a substitute on Monday, Dec 27.
Why do Lunar New Year and Chuseok dates change every year?
These follow the lunar calendar — Seollal is lunar Jan 1, Chuseok is lunar Aug 15, Buddha's Birthday is lunar Apr 8. The solar dates shift between late Jan / early Feb (Seollal), late Sep / early Oct (Chuseok), and late Apr / mid May (Buddha's Birthday).
Are these holidays observed by all businesses?
Government offices, banks, schools, and most large companies observe all public holidays as paid days off. Retail / hospitality / restaurants typically stay open. Lunar New Year and Chuseok are the most universally observed — even most retail closes for at least one day during these. Plan accordingly if visiting Korea during those weeks.
Can I get visa services on holidays?
No. HiKorea immigration offices, NTS hometax, government21 — all closed on public holidays including substitute days. Check the calendar before scheduling appointments. Online services on hikorea.go.kr remain available 24/7 but processing pauses.
What about temporary holidays?
The Korean government can declare ad-hoc temporary holidays through a Cabinet decision. These can't be predicted in advance, so check news before traveling. Recent ones: Oct 2 2023 (Chuseok bridge), Oct 1 2024 (Armed Forces Day), Jan 27 2025 (Seollal bridge), Jun 3 2025 (snap presidential election) — all included in this calendar. Regular election days (presidential, National Assembly, local) are statutory public holidays, so they are listed in advance (e.g., Jun 3 2026 local elections, Apr 12 2028 National Assembly election).