
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 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.
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 Name | Date / Observance | Category / Type | Closure Impact | Official Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol) Commemorates the March 1st Movement of 1919 under national holiday regulations. | March 1 | National Holiday (Gukgyeongil) | Full Closure (Banks, Schools & Govt Administration) | www.gov.kr → |
| Liberation Day (Gwangbokjeol) Celebrates national liberation in 1945. | August 15 | National Holiday (Gukgyeongil) | Full National Closure | www.gov.kr → |
| National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol) Honours the legendary founding of Gojoseon. | October 3 | National Holiday | Full National Closure | www.gov.kr → |
| Hangul Day (Hangul Nal) Commemorates the creation and proclamation of the Korean alphabet (Hangul). | October 9 | National Holiday | Full National Closure | www.gov.kr → |
Statutory holidays landing on a Monday, Friday, Tuesday or Thursday create a long-weekend opportunity — here's what's coming up.
| Holiday | Date | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| Hangul Day (Hangul Nal) | Fri, Oct 9, 2026 | Automatic 3-day weekend |
| Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol) | Mon, Mar 1, 2027 | Automatic 3-day weekend |
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.
| 📊 Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| 👥 Population Rank | #29 of 249 |
| 📏 Area World Rank | #109 |
| 🏙️ Population Density | 519.2 / km² |
| 🌊 Land / Water Split | 99.7% / 0.3% |