Geo Countries
South Korea national flag - official symbol of Asia

Current Date And Time In South Korea

Friday, 11 September 2026
02:03:57 KST
Capital: Seoul
Currency: South Korean won (KRW)
Timezone: UTC +09:00 (KST)
Population: 51,872,752

🎉 South Korea - Public Holidays


Checking which days are official holidays in South Korea? The live calendar below covers recently observed dates and everything coming up. South Korea observes 4 official public holidays mandated by national law (including Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol), Liberation Day (Gwangbokjeol), National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol)). Some holidays fall on a fixed calendar date every year — an Independence or Republic Day, for instance. Others, governed by the Easter calculation, the Islamic lunar calendar, or an "nth weekday of the month" rule, shift from year to year, so each year carries its own actual date rather than an assumed repeat. Jump straight to the live calendar below, or read on for how the dates are worked out.

Why This Matters: Public holidays in South Korea directly affect on-the-ground staffing and call-centre coverage planning. This calendar is a standard reference point for remote teams and outsourcing partners coordinating with local offices working with partners, offices or operations in South Korea.

Quick Links: South Korea Overview | Map | Currency | Travel Info | Nearby Countries | Statutory Holidays | How Holidays Work | States & Regional

📅 Live Holiday Calendar — South Korea

Live public holiday calendar for South Korea, embedded directly from Google's official public calendar — always shows Google's current data.

◀ Showing upcoming holidays — use the back arrow in the calendar's toolbar to see earlier dates this year.

ℹ Calendar supplied and maintained by Google. See the full travel profile for emergency numbers, electrical standards and more.

🏛️ Official Statutory National Holidays — South Korea

Statutory public holidays mandated by national government law in South Korea. These fixed dates reflect official non-working days. For dynamic, movable religious observances (e.g., Eid, Easter), refer to the live calendar embed above.

Holiday NameDate / ObservanceCategory / TypeClosure ImpactOfficial Source
Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol)
Commemorates the March 1st Movement of 1919 under national holiday regulations.
March 1National Holiday (Gukgyeongil)Full Closure (Banks, Schools & Govt Administration)www.gov.kr →
Liberation Day (Gwangbokjeol)
Celebrates national liberation in 1945.
August 15National Holiday (Gukgyeongil)Full National Closurewww.gov.kr →
National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol)
Honours the legendary founding of Gojoseon.
October 3National HolidayFull National Closurewww.gov.kr →
Hangul Day (Hangul Nal)
Commemorates the creation and proclamation of the Korean alphabet (Hangul).
October 9National HolidayFull National Closurewww.gov.kr →

🧳 Upcoming Long Weekends in South Korea

Statutory holidays landing on a Monday, Friday, Tuesday or Thursday create a long-weekend opportunity — here's what's coming up.

HolidayDateOpportunity
Hangul Day (Hangul Nal)Fri, Oct 9, 2026Automatic 3-day weekend
Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol)Mon, Mar 1, 2027Automatic 3-day weekend

📖 How Public Holidays Work in South Korea

Two calendar mechanics sit behind most public holiday lists: a fixed-date system for civic anniversaries, which repeat annually, and a second, older calendar system behind a country's religious or lunar-based observances, which don't. South Korea's calendar can include holidays governed by an Easter-based calculation, the Hijri lunar calendar used for Islamic observances, or a lunisolar calendar — each running independently of the standard Gregorian civic calendar. As a country in Asia, South Korea sits in a region where both kinds of calendar are common — which is exactly why the live calendar above lists each year's actual computed date rather than assuming a repeat.

Under South Korea's labor law, fixed-date national public holidays carry mandatory non-working status for public administration, financial institutions, and commercial enterprises — 4 such holidays are documented for South Korea in the table above, all individually cross-checked against independent corroborating sources, including Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol) on March 1. Official gazette announcements are published by government authorities to confirm these mandated closures.

Worth separating, too: a true public holiday is a legally mandated non-working day — banks, schools and government offices close by law or long-standing custom. An observance is different — culturally or religiously notable, but without a mandated closure (Valentine's Day and Earth Day are common examples worldwide). This page focuses specifically on public holidays, the ones that actually affect scheduling.

South Korea is also divided into states and provinces, and countries structured this way often layer a regional founding day, a local patron festival or a province-specific holiday on top of the national calendar — observed in one state but not nationwide. The calendar above covers South Korea's national holidays; see the South Korea states & provinces directory for population and government data on each one.

Frequently Asked Questions — South Korea Public Holidays

What are public holidays in South Korea?

Public holidays in South Korea are nationwide days off recognised by the government, when most banks, schools and government offices close and many businesses adjust their hours. They mark historical, cultural, religious or civic occasions and are a standard reference point for remote teams and outsourcing partners coordinating with local offices working with South Korea.


How many public holidays does South Korea observe each year?

4 fixed-date public holidays are documented for South Korea in the table above, on top of movable observances shown in the live calendar. The exact total varies year to year — some holidays fall on a fixed date, while Easter-based, Islamic-calendar or other lunar observances shift annually, and some are added by regional decree. See the live calendar above for the current list of upcoming and recently observed dates.


What is the official government source for South Korea's fixed-date public holidays?

Official public holidays in South Korea are enacted by national acts of parliament and published via www.gov.kr. These non-working days carry legal status for banking, public administration, and employment compliance.


What does Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol) commemorate in South Korea?

Commemorates the March 1st Movement of 1919 under national holiday regulations. It falls on March 1 and carries official non-working status in South Korea — see the statutory holidays table above for its closure impact and official source.


Where does the live holiday calendar for South Korea come from, and is it accurate?

It's Google's own official "South Korea" holiday calendar, embedded directly via Google's public calendar integration — Google serves the data straight to your browser in real time, and we don't store, edit or republish any of it ourselves. For the smaller set of fixed-date national holidays we've individually fact-checked, see the statutory holidays table above instead.


Do South Korea's public holidays fall on the same date every year?

Some do and some don't. Fixed-date holidays repeat on the same calendar day annually, while others follow the Easter calculation, the Islamic lunar calendar, or an "nth weekday of the month" rule — so their date moves from year to year. See how public holidays work above for the full explanation of why, or check the calendar itself for each year's actual date.


What happens when a fixed public holiday falls on a weekend in South Korea?

When a fixed public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, many governments designate the following Monday as an official substitute non-working day (often termed an 'observed holiday'). Check South Korea's official gazette announcements or the live calendar embed for specific year-by-year substitute day designations.


How can I plan a long weekend around public holidays in South Korea?

Check the day of the week shown next to each entry in the calendar above: holidays falling on a Monday or Friday create an automatic three-day weekend, while a Tuesday or Thursday holiday can often be extended to four days by taking the day in between off — a common practice known as a "bridge day" in many countries. See the South Korea travel guide once you've picked a date worth planning a trip around.


Does South Korea have regional or state-specific holidays too?

Many countries observe additional regional, state or provincial holidays alongside national ones. South Korea is divided into states and provinces — see the South Korea states & provinces directory for region-specific pages with more local detail.


Why are some major cultural holidays listed in the live calendar but not in the official holidays table?

The official holidays table above lists fixed-date national public holidays mandated by law. Dynamic, movable observances (such as Eid or Easter) shift calendar dates annually based on lunar or religious computations — those dates are updated continuously in the live Google Calendar embed below.

🗓️ Holiday Fast Facts
Public Holidays: 4 Days
Flagship National Day:
Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol) (March 1)
📊 Quick Facts
👥 Population Rank#29 of 249
📏 Area World Rank#109
🏙️ Population Density519.2 / km²
🌊 Land / Water Split99.7% / 0.3%
🕒 Business Hours & Time Zone
Time Zone: +09:00
Bank Holiday Closures: Full closure on official holidays
✈️ Traveler Planning Essentials
Emergency Number: 112
Driving Side: Right side
🌐 Public Holidays Nearby