South Korean Public Holidays
Korea runs on the Western calendar, but Seollal, Chuseok and Buddha's Birthday follow the lunar calendar — the same lunisolar system used in Taiwan.
| Date | Weekday | Holiday | Korean | Lunar |
|---|
* Lunar dates are computed with this site's own lunar engine. Korea's are calculated by KASI in Korean Standard Time, which can differ from the Taiwanese calculation by one day in rare years. Final dates are set by the Korean government.
Dangi Era Converter
Korea formerly counted years in the Dangi era (단기), dated from the legendary founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BC, so Dangi = Western + 2333. Official use ended in 1962, but it still appears on commemorative documents.
| Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Western | ||
| Dangi | Dangi = Western + 2333 |
How It Works
Lunar holidays
Seollal (설날, Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (추석, harvest festival) are each three-day holidays: the day itself plus the day before and after. Seollal is lunar 1/1 and Chuseok is lunar 8/15 — the same day Taiwan celebrates as Mid-Autumn Festival. Buddha's Birthday is lunar 4/8. Because they follow the lunar calendar, their Western dates shift every year.
Substitute holidays
Korea expanded its substitute holiday system in 2023. Independence Movement Day, Children's Day, Buddha's Birthday, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangul Day and Christmas all get a substitute weekday if they fall on a Saturday or Sunday. The Seollal and Chuseok blocks only get one when a day falls on a Sunday. New Year's Day and Memorial Day never get a substitute.
Compared with Taiwan
Both countries celebrate Lunar New Year and the eighth-month full moon, but Korea gives three days for each, while Taiwan gives a longer Lunar New Year and only one day for Mid-Autumn. Korea has no Dragon Boat holiday, and Taiwan has no equivalent of Liberation Day (15 August, marking the end of Japanese rule) or National Foundation Day.
Hangul Day and National Foundation Day
Hangul Day (한글날, 9 October) marks King Sejong's promulgation of the Korean alphabet; National Foundation Day (개천절, 3 October) commemorates the mythical founding of the nation by Dangun. Both are fixed-date public holidays.
Provided for reference. Korea normally publishes the following year's holiday schedule in advance; ad-hoc "temporary public holidays" declared by the government are not predictable and are not shown here.