Public Holidays
Overview
A public holiday (公休日) is a day designated by the state or public institutions by law or custom for citizens to rest from work. In South Korea, the "Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices" (관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정) determine the types and criteria of public holidays, and government offices, financial institutions, and schools close accordingly. Public holidays are more than simple days of rest; they are a representative social institution where labor rights, consumption and tourism, and religious and cultural identity intersect.
Main Content
Definition and Legal Nature
Public holidays are largely divided into statutory public holidays and temporary public holidays. Statutory public holidays are days that are applied repeatedly each year according to laws and regulations such as presidential decrees, while temporary public holidays are cases in which the government designates a specific day on a temporary basis through a resolution of the State Council. There are also cases, such as election days, that automatically become public holidays based on other laws. Private companies are not obligated to guarantee statutory public holidays as paid holidays, and whether they are paid holidays under the Labor Standards Act is a separate matter. However, many government offices, public corporations, and large corporations operate public holidays as paid days off through employment rules and collective agreements.
Public Holidays in South Korea
Under the current system, major public holidays are as follows.
- January 1 (New Year's Day)
- Seollal (Lunar New Year) holiday, 3 days (the last day of the 12th lunar month, the 1st day of the 1st lunar month, and the 2nd day of the 1st lunar month)
- March 1st Independence Movement Day (March 1)
- Buddha's Birthday (the 8th day of the 4th lunar month)
- Children's Day (May 5)
- Memorial Day (June 6)
- Liberation Day (August 15)
- Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday, 3 days (the 14th, 15th, and 16th days of the 8th lunar month)
- National Foundation Day (October 3)
- Hangeul Day (October 9)
- Christmas (December 25)
- Sundays, and days designated by the government from time to time
Constitution Day (July 17) is a national holiday, but it has been excluded from public holidays since 2008 and is not a day off. This decision has continued to be the subject of discussion for re-designation ever since.
Substitute Holiday System
A substitute holiday (대체공휴일) is a system that allows the next non-holiday to be taken off instead when a public holiday overlaps with another public holiday (usually Sunday) or Saturday. It was first introduced in 2014 for the Seollal and Chuseok holidays and Children's Day, expanded in 2021 to include March 1st Independence Movement Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, and Christmas, and from May 2023 the scope of application was broadened to include Buddha's Birthday and Christmas. As a result, virtually most national holidays and major religious anniversaries became subject to substitute holidays. The criteria for application were gradually relaxed to include cases where Saturday overlaps with another public holiday.
Public Holidays Around the World
Public holidays in each country differ greatly according to religious, historical, and political backgrounds. In Japan, Golden Week, when several public holidays are consecutive, and Obon are representative, while China operates long holidays during the Spring Festival and National Day. In the United States, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are key, and federal holidays and state holidays are distinguished. In the Islamic world, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are the biggest holidays, and because they are based on the lunar calendar, their dates change every year. Many European countries center on Easter and Christmas, and many have designated Labor Day (May 1) as a statutory public holiday.
Economic and Social Impact
Public holidays incur costs from production stoppage while simultaneously stimulating domestic consumption and tourism demand. When holidays are longer, the travel, accommodation, and distribution sectors enjoy a boom, while conversely the manufacturing and logistics industries face burdens in workforce management. Labor circles emphasize the aspects of the right to rest and health, while management circles emphasize cost and productivity, and the two sides are sharply opposed.
Latest Trends
In 2024, Armed Forces Day (October 1) was designated as a temporary public holiday, lengthening the autumn holiday, and the government repeatedly used the temporary public holiday card under the justification of boosting domestic demand. In 2025, the day before the Seollal holiday was designated as a temporary public holiday, and the presidential election day on June 3 was operated as a public holiday, continuing cases of designations tied to political schedules.
On the institutional side, along with discussions to further expand the scope of substitute holidays, legislative discussions to upgrade Labor Day (May Day) on May 1 to a statutory public holiday continue to be raised in the National Assembly. In addition, as discussions on a four-day workweek spread, attempts to compare the total number of days off, including public holidays, with international standards are also active. There are also some movements to introduce regional public holidays at the level of local governments, for example, designating local festival days or historical anniversaries as temporary public holidays. On the other hand, concerns that the burden on small business owners and the self-employed increases as public holidays increase, and the issue of administrative gaps caused by government office closures, are also raised, and many point out that a balanced design is needed.
Related Topics
- [[Substitute holiday]]
- [[National holiday]]
- [[Labor Standards Act]]
- [[Temporary public holiday]]
- [[Four-day workweek]]