South Korea Public Holidays 2025: Dates & Etiquette

Number of public holidays in 2025: 16 (including substitute days) ·
Largest holiday: Seollal (Lunar New Year) – 3 days (Jan 28–30) ·
Second largest holiday: Chuseok (Harvest Festival) – 3 days (Oct 5–7) ·
Minimum annual vacation days for workers: 15 days (excluding public holidays)

Sixteen public holidays in 2025, but the real weight lies in two major celebrations that anchor the calendar—Seollal and Chuseok.

What are the two biggest holidays in Korea?

Two celebrations tower above the rest. Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Harvest Festival) are both three-day affairs rooted in family, ancestry, and food. Together they form the emotional spine of South Korea’s holiday calendar.

Seollal (Lunar New Year) dates and traditions

• Dates: Tuesday, January 28 – Thursday, January 30, 2025 (Korea Customs Service – government portal)
• Seollal includes the lunar New Year’s Day plus the day before and after (VisitSeoul – official tourism site)
• Korean government added Monday, January 27, as a one-time temporary public holiday to create a longer break (Korea Customs Service – government portal)
• Traditions: ancestral rites (charye), family gatherings, eating tteokguk (rice cake soup), and bowing to elders (sebae)

The pattern: a temporary holiday effectively stretches Seollal into a five-day weekend for many workers. The trade-off: roads and trains jam as millions travel to hometowns.

Chuseok (Harvest Festival) dates and traditions

• Dates: Sunday, October 5 – Tuesday, October 7, 2025; October 6 is Chuseok itself (Korea Customs Service – government portal)
• Often compared to Thanksgiving – families visit ancestral graves, share songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes), and hold memorial services
• One of the busiest travel periods in South Korea (Dive in Korea – expat travel blog)

What this means: Chuseok 2025 falls over a Sunday–Tuesday span. Combining it with the preceding National Foundation Day (October 3, Friday) and a few vacation days can yield nine consecutive days off.

How long is Chuseok 2026?

For 2025 the answer is clear: three days. For 2026, the exact dates aren’t set but the structure remains the same.

Chuseok 2025 duration and dates

• Chuseok always runs three days: the day before, the day of, and the day after the lunar calendar date (VisitSeoul – official tourism site)
• 2025: October 5–7

What to expect during Chuseok

• Cities empty out as people head to hometowns, and highways become parking lots
• Business closures: many shops, restaurants, and attractions shut down for at least the main day (Dive in Korea – expat travel blog)

The pattern: Chuseok 2026 will likely offer a similar three-day window, but travelers should watch for official announcements.

Is there a golden week in Korea?

Japan’s famous Golden Week has no official counterpart in South Korea, but the holiday clustering around Chuseok often mimics one.

Definition of golden week in East Asia

• Japan’s Golden Week: late April to early May, four national holidays compressed into about a week
• South Korea has no such official designation (Korea Customs Service – government portal)

How Korea’s holiday clustering works

• Chuseok 2025: October 5–7, preceded by National Foundation Day (Oct 3, Friday) and followed by Hangul Day (Oct 9, Thursday)
• With two vacation days (Oct 8 and Oct 10), workers can create a 9-day stretch from Oct 3 to Oct 11

Comparison with Japan’s Golden Week

• Japan’s GW is fixed annually; Korea’s window depends on the lunar calendar
• Some schools and companies in Korea give extra days off during Chuseok period (Saerom Labor Consulting – Korean labor law experts)

The implication: while Korea lacks an official golden week, the October 2025 calendar is arguably more generous. For expats and travelers, it’s the prime window for a long trip.

How many vacation days do you get in Korea?

Understanding leave entitlements helps plan around the holiday calendar.

Minimum statutory annual leave in South Korea

• Full-time workers: at least 15 days of paid annual leave per year (Saerom Labor Consulting – Korean labor law experts)
• Public sector workers average about 20 days

Differences between public holidays and vacation days

• Public holidays (16 in 2025) are separate from annual leave – workers don’t need to use vacation days for them
• Substitute holidays apply when a public holiday falls on a weekend, adding extra paid days off (Korea Customs Service – government portal)

How vacation days are used around major holidays

• Strategic use: placing 2 vacation days around Chuseok can unlock a 9-day break
• During Seollal, the temporary holiday on Jan 27 already gives workers a 5-day stretch with just one personal day

Why this matters: for expats and long-term travelers, the combination of public holidays and statutory leave creates generous break opportunities. The key is knowing which dates to target.

What not to do in Korea as a tourist?

Respecting local customs during holiday periods is crucial – especially when visiting family homes or participating in celebrations.

Cultural faux pas during holidays

• Never wear shoes inside a Korean home – it’s a strict rule (Dive in Korea – expat travel blog)
• When giving gifts (common during Seollal and Chuseok), use both hands as a sign of respect
• Bow when greeting elders; a slight bow is appropriate for strangers

Shoes-off rule

• This applies to most homes, guesthouses, and even some traditional restaurants
• Peel them off at the entrance – you’ll see a shoe rack or designated area

Gift-giving etiquette

• Common Chuseok gifts: hanwoo (Korean beef), premium fruit sets, health supplements
• Present and receive with both hands, and a slight bow
• Avoid giving shoes or clocks as gifts – they carry negative connotations

Respecting elder customs

• During Seollal, the sebae (deep bow) is performed to elders; as a guest, a simple respectful nod suffices
• Use honorific language when addressing older individuals

The implication: respecting these customs ensures a smoother experience during holiday visits.

Timeline: South Korea public holidays 2025

The ten official holidays, ordered chronologically, reveal the year’s rhythm.

The pattern: clustering around Seollal (Jan 27–30) and Chuseok (Oct 3–9) gives two obvious travel windows. The March and May substitute holidays extend weekends for locals but may cause confusion for visitors.

What we know and what remains uncertain

The pattern: travelers can rely on confirmed dates but should stay flexible for future years.

“Seollal and Chuseok are the two most important traditional holidays in South Korea, centered on family gatherings and ancestral rituals.”

– VisitSeoul Official Travel Guide (Seoul Tourism Organization – official city guide)

“The Labor Standards Act guarantees at least 15 days of paid annual leave to full-time workers, separate from public holidays.”

– Saerom Labor Consulting (Korean labor law advisory firm)

“Chuseok, the harvest festival, is one of the biggest travel periods in South Korea as millions return to their hometowns.”

– Dive in Korea (Expat lifestyle and travel blog)

“South Korea’s 2025 public holiday list shows 16 days off, with substitute holidays ensuring weekend falls don’t steal your day off.”

– Timeanddate.com (Global calendar and time resource)

South Korea’s 2025 calendar is more than a list of dates—it’s a navigation tool for anyone stepping into the country’s cultural rhythm. For travelers, the choice is clear: plan around Seollal in late January and the October Chuseok cluster, or risk arriving during a mass exodus when businesses close and transport is packed. For workers, the combination of 15 statutory vacation days plus 16 public holidays means you can stretch a short break into a real holiday, if you know where the substitute days fall. The government’s decision to add a temporary holiday on January 27 turned a three-day celebration into a five-day window—a signal that the system is designed to encourage domestic travel and family time. The takeaway: know the dates, respect the customs, and you’ll find Korea’s holiday calendar is an asset, not a hurdle.

Frequently asked questions

For similar guides on Asian holiday calendars, see Taiwan Public Holidays 2026: Full Calendar & Key Dates and How Many Public Holidays in Singapore? 2026 Dates & Count.