Public holidays in South Korea, 2026
South Korea observes 18 nationwide public holidays in 2026. After weekends and those holidays are removed, the working year comes to 245 days.
Every public holiday in 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year's Day 새해 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 16 Feb | Monday | Lunar New Year 설날 |
Nationwide |
| Tue, 17 Feb | Tuesday | Lunar New Year 설날 |
Nationwide |
| Wed, 18 Feb | Wednesday | Lunar New Year 설날 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 2 Mar | Monday | Independence Movement Day 3·1절 |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 1 May | Friday | Labour Day 노동절 |
Nationwide |
| Tue, 5 May | Tuesday | Children's Day 어린이날 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 25 May | Monday | Buddha's Birthday 부처님 오신 날 |
Nationwide |
| Wed, 3 Jun | Wednesday | Local Election Day 지방 선거일 |
Nationwide |
| Sat, 6 Jun | Saturday Weekend | Memorial Day 현충일 |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 17 Jul | Friday | Constitution Day 제헌절 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 17 Aug | Monday | Liberation Day 광복절 |
Nationwide |
| Thu, 24 Sep | Thursday | Chuseok 추석 |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 25 Sep | Friday | Chuseok 추석 |
Nationwide |
| Sat, 26 Sep | Saturday Weekend | Chuseok 추석 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 5 Oct | Monday | National Foundation Day 개천절 |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 9 Oct | Friday | Hangul Day 한글날 |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 25 Dec | Friday | Christmas Day 크리스마스 |
Nationwide |
Working days month by month
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend | Holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| February | 28 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 136 |
| March | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| April | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| May | 31 | 10 | 3 | 18 | 144 |
| June | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| July | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| August | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| September | 30 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| October | 31 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| November | 30 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| December | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| Year | 365 | 104 | 16 | 245 | 1,960 |
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.
2 of this year's public holidays fall on a weekend and therefore add no time away from work: Memorial Day (6 Jun), Chuseok (26 Sep). Whether these are compensated with a substitute day depends on national rules rather than on the calendar, so confirm before planning around them.
The longest working month is April at 22 days; the shortest is February at 17. That spread of 5 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.
Compared with 2025, which held 246 working days, 2026 is 1 working day shorter. Where a target is carried over from one year to the next unchanged, that difference is absorbed silently unless someone accounts for it.
Against the 204 countries covered here for 2026, South Korea's 18 nationwide holidays put it above the median of 12, around the 94th percentile. The range across all countries this year runs from 3 to 49.
The holidays produce 10 breaks of three consecutive non-working days or more. The longest runs 5 days, from 14 February 2026 to 18 February 2026, built around Lunar New Year. A further 2 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.
10 of this year's holidays sit on a different calendar date than in 2025: Lunar New Year, Lunar New Year, Lunar New Year, Independence Movement Day, Buddha's Birthday, Liberation Day and others. Dates that move cannot be carried forward from last year's planning spreadsheet, which is the most common way a holiday is missed.