Public holidays in South Korea 2026

There are 22 public holidays in 2026. 16 of them fall on a working day.

Download calendar file (.ics) For Outlook, Google Calendar and Apple Calendar; all-day events.

All 22 public holidays in South Korea 2026

DateWeekdayHolidayLocal nameCountdown
ThursdayNew Year's Day신정연휴
MondayThe day preceding Korean New Year설날 전날
TuesdayKorean New Year설날
WednesdayThe second day of Korean New Year설날 다음날
SundayIndependence Movement Day삼일절
MondayAlternative holiday for Independence Movement Day삼일절 대체 휴일
FridayLabor Day노동절
TuesdayChildren's Day어린이날
SundayBuddha's Birthday부처님오신날
MondayAlternative holiday for Buddha's Birthday부처님오신날 대체 휴일
WednesdayLocal Election Day지방선거일
SaturdayMemorial Day현충일
FridayConstitution Day제헌절
SaturdayLiberation Day광복절
MondayAlternative holiday for Liberation Day광복절 대체 휴일
ThursdayThe day preceding Chuseok추석 전날
FridayChuseok추석
SaturdayThe second day of Chuseok추석 다음날
SaturdayNational Foundation Day개천절
MondayAlternative holiday for National Foundation Day개천절 대체 휴일
FridayHangul Day한글날
FridayChristmas Day기독탄신일

Days marked "observed" are substitute days off when a holiday falls on a weekend. Holidays based on a lunar calendar can shift by a day once the official announcement is made.

Long weekends 2026

15 times a public holiday lies close to a weekend – with a little leave it becomes a long weekend:

Take leaveOffDays of leaveDays offRatioOccasion
Fri 2 Jan1 Jan – 4 Jan 2026144New Year's Day
Thu 19 Feb, Fri 20 Feb14 Feb – 22 Feb 2026294.5The day preceding Korean New Year, Korean New Year, The second day of Korean New Year
Tue 3 Mar, Wed 4 Mar, Thu 5 Mar, Fri 6 Mar28 Feb – 8 Mar 2026492.3Independence Movement Day, Alternative holiday for Independence Movement Day
Mon 27 Apr, Tue 28 Apr, Wed 29 Apr, Thu 30 Apr25 Apr – 3 May 2026492.3Labor Day
Mon 4 May1 May – 5 May 2026155Labor Day, Children's Day
Wed 6 May, Thu 7 May, Fri 8 May5 May – 10 May 2026362Children's Day
Tue 26 May, Wed 27 May, Thu 28 May, Fri 29 May23 May – 31 May 2026492.3Buddha's Birthday, Alternative holiday for Buddha's Birthday
Mon 1 Jun, Tue 2 Jun30 May – 3 Jun 2026252.5Local Election Day
Thu 4 Jun, Fri 5 Jun3 Jun – 7 Jun 2026252.5Local Election Day, Memorial Day
Mon 13 Jul, Tue 14 Jul, Wed 15 Jul, Thu 16 Jul11 Jul – 19 Jul 2026492.3Constitution Day
Tue 18 Aug, Wed 19 Aug, Thu 20 Aug, Fri 21 Aug15 Aug – 23 Aug 2026492.3Liberation Day, Alternative holiday for Liberation Day
Mon 21 Sep, Tue 22 Sep, Wed 23 Sep19 Sep – 27 Sep 2026393The day preceding Chuseok, Chuseok, The second day of Chuseok
Tue 6 Oct, Wed 7 Oct, Thu 8 Oct3 Oct – 11 Oct 2026393National Foundation Day, Alternative holiday for National Foundation Day, Hangul Day
Mon 21 Dec, Tue 22 Dec, Wed 23 Dec, Thu 24 Dec19 Dec – 27 Dec 2026492.3Christmas Day
Mon 28 Dec, Tue 29 Dec, Wed 30 Dec, Thu 31 Dec25 Dec – 3 Jan 20274102.5Christmas Day, New Year's Day

Counted are gaps of up to four working days between a public holiday and the weekend or another public holiday. "Ratio" = days off per day of leave. Weekends follow the local working week.

Dates are generated from the open-source library python-holidays and automatically cross-checked against Nager.Date and the public Google Calendar holiday calendars; every holiday on a working day must be confirmed by a second source. Official announcements take precedence, especially for holidays that depend on the moon or are declared at short notice.

Frequently asked questions

How many public holidays does South Korea have in 2026?

22 public holidays. 6 of them fall on a weekend in 2026.

What is the next public holiday in South Korea?

As of 9 Nov 2026, the next holiday is Christmas Day on Friday, 25 Dec 2026.

Which public holiday gives the best long weekend in 2026?

Labor Day, Children's Day: take 1 day of leave (4 May) and you get 5 days off in a row, 1 May – 5 May 2026.

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