Korean Public Holidays 2027
South Korea has 13 official public holidays in 2027. 9 fall on a weekend, resulting in 5 substitute holidays: February 9th, May 3rd, August 16th, October 4th, October 11th. A total of 13 days off from work. We listed 8 long weekends worth planning around below.
Here's the full list, plus the long weekends worth knowing about before you book anything.
Public Holidays
| Date | Day of the Week | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| January 1st | Friday | New Year's Day |
| February 6th - 8th | Saturday - Monday | Seollal |
| February 9th | Tuesday | Seollal Substitute Holiday |
| March 1st | Monday | March 1st Movement Day |
| May 1st | Saturday | Workers' Day |
| May 3rd | Monday | Workers' Day Substitute Holiday |
| May 5th | Wednesday | Children's Day |
| May 13th | Thursday | Buddha's Birthday |
| June 6th | Sunday | Memorial Day |
| July 17th | Saturday | Constitution Day |
| August 15th | Sunday | Liberation Day |
| August 16th | Monday | Liberation Day Substitute Holiday |
| September 14th - 16th | Tuesday - Thursday | Chuseok |
| October 3rd | Sunday | National Foundation Day |
| October 4th | Monday | National Foundation Day Substitute Holiday |
| October 9th | Saturday | Hangul Day |
| October 11th | Monday | Hangul Day Substitute Holiday |
| December 25th | Saturday | Christmas |
Substitute Holidays
When a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday becomes an official day off instead. Korea calls this a 대체공휴일 (daechegonghyuil), a substitute holiday.
It's worth knowing that not all holidays trigger a substitute day. The system mainly applies to the bigger national holidays.
Chuseok and Seollal only get a substitute holiday if 1 of the 3 days falls on a Sunday.
In some years, Buddha's Birthday falls on May 5. The same day as Children's Day. Both are public holidays. In this case the next available non-holiday weekday becomes a substitute holiday.
| Date | Day of the Week | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| February 9th | Tuesday | Seollal Substitute Holiday |
| May 3rd | Monday | Workers' Day Substitute Holiday |
| August 16th | Monday | Liberation Day Substitute Holiday |
| October 4th | Monday | National Foundation Day Substitute Holiday |
| October 11th | Monday | Hangul Day Substitute Holiday |
Long Weekends
| Holiday | Dates | Length of Weekend |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1st - 3rd | 3-day weekend |
| Seollal | February 6th - 9th | 4-day weekend |
| March 1st Movement Day | February 27th - March 1st | 3-day weekend |
| Workers' Day | May 1st - 3rd | 3-day weekend |
| Liberation Day | August 14th - 16th | 3-day weekend |
| Chuseok | September 14th - 16th | 3-day weekend |
| National Foundation Day | October 2nd - 4th | 3-day weekend |
| Hangul Day | October 9th - 11th | 3-day weekend |
