Public holidays in South Korea, 2025
South Korea observes 16 nationwide public holidays in 2025. After weekends and those holidays are removed, the working year comes to 246 days.
Every public holiday in 2025
| Date | Day | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, 1 Jan | Wednesday | New Year's Day 새해 |
Nationwide |
| Tue, 28 Jan | Tuesday | Lunar New Year 설날 |
Nationwide |
| Wed, 29 Jan | Wednesday | Lunar New Year 설날 |
Nationwide |
| Thu, 30 Jan | Thursday | Lunar New Year 설날 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 3 Mar | Monday | Independence Movement Day 3·1절 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 5 May | Monday | Buddha's Birthday 부처님 오신 날 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 5 May | Monday | Children's Day 어린이날 |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 6 Jun | Friday | Memorial Day 현충일 |
Nationwide |
| Thu, 17 Jul | Thursday | Constitution Day 제헌절 |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 15 Aug | Friday | Liberation Day 광복절 |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 3 Oct | Friday | National Foundation Day 개천절 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 6 Oct | Monday | Chuseok 추석 |
Nationwide |
| Tue, 7 Oct | Tuesday | Chuseok 추석 |
Nationwide |
| Wed, 8 Oct | Wednesday | Chuseok 추석 |
Nationwide |
| Thu, 9 Oct | Thursday | Hangul Day 한글날 |
Nationwide |
| Thu, 25 Dec | Thursday | Christmas Day 크리스마스 |
Nationwide |
Working days month by month
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend | Holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 8 | 4 | 19 | 152 |
| February | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 160 |
| March | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| April | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| May | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| June | 30 | 9 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| July | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| August | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| September | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| October | 31 | 8 | 5 | 18 | 144 |
| November | 30 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 160 |
| December | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| Year | 365 | 104 | 15 | 246 | 1,968 |
Reading these figures
The working day count treats Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, which is the standard working week in South Korea. Only nationwide holidays are deducted; a date observed in one region alone still counts as a working day here, because a national figure that moved with regional calendars would describe nobody accurately.
The longest working month is April at 22 days; the shortest is October at 18. That spread of 4 days matters for anything billed or accrued monthly, which is why payroll and capacity plans that assume an even year drift by the end of it. The thinnest quarter is Q1, carrying 59 working days across January, February, March.
Against the 204 countries covered here for 2025, South Korea's 16 nationwide holidays put it above the median of 12, around the 88th percentile. The range across all countries this year runs from 3 to 48.
The holidays produce 6 breaks of three consecutive non-working days or more. The longest runs 7 days, from 3 October 2025 to 9 October 2025, built around National Foundation Day and Chuseok and Hangul Day. A further 5 working days are stranded between a holiday and a weekend, where one day of leave buys a break of four days or more. The full breakdown is here.