Christmas in Korea 2026: Is 25 December a Holiday, What Is Open, and What a Christmas Cake, Hotel Buffet and Night Out Cost
Last updated: 2 October 2026. The 2026 calendar facts (25 December is a Friday, the holiday rules) are from the Korean government's holiday regulation. Christmas 2026 prices have not been announced yet: bakeries and hotels publish them in mid-November. The cake, buffet and illumination figures below are the official 2025 announcements as reported by Korean media in November and December 2025, labelled as 2025, and are the best guide until the 2026 lists come out. We will update this page when they do.
Christmas in Korea looks familiar from a distance, with trees in hotel lobbies and light shows on the Myeongdong façades. Up close it works differently. 25 December is a public holiday (기독탄신일, "the day of Christ's birth"), so banks, post offices and government offices close. But nearly everything a visitor wants stays open, from palaces and museums to department stores and restaurants. And the day itself belongs less to families than to couples: the night of the 24th is one of the most booked dinner nights of the Korean year.
In 2026 Christmas Day falls on a Friday, so Korea gets a three-day weekend, 25 to 27 December, and another one a week later, because 1 January 2027 is also a Friday. That shapes everything below: prices, crowds, hotel rates and the last train home.
The Korean way to stand outside at a light show in December: InLife Warm It hand warmers, made in Korea, 30-pack, on AmazonAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Quick Guide: Christmas in Korea 2026
| Question | Answer | Source / status |
|---|---|---|
| Is 25 December a holiday? | Yes, a public holiday (기독탄신일). In 2026 it is a Friday: a 3-day weekend, 25–27 Dec | Regulation on Public Holidays of Government Offices, Art. 2 |
| Is 24 December a holiday? | No. Thursday 24 Dec is a normal working day | Same regulation |
| What closes | Bank branches, post offices, government offices, the stock exchange | All close on public holidays |
| What stays open | Palaces (25 Dec 2026 is not a closing day), museums, department stores, restaurants, cafés, convenience stores | Official schedules, see below |
| Chain-bakery Christmas cake | Paris Baguette Berry Bomb ₩39,000; up to 30% off with pre-order | 2025 prices; 2026 due mid-Nov |
| Hotel Christmas cake | ₩80,000–₩500,000 (Shilla's top cake: ₩500,000, 3 a day) | 2025 prices |
| Hotel buffet dinner, Christmas week | ₩215,000–₩225,000 per adult in the top Seoul hotels | 2025 prices |
| Convenience-store cake | Mini cake ₩4,900, whole cake ₩18,800 (GS25) | 2025 prices |
| Best free light show | Shinsegae façade, Myeongdong, 17:00–midnight daily; Lotte's new 1,614 m² screen opposite from December 2026 | 2025 hours; Lotte announced 30 Jul 2026 |
| English church services | Sunday 27 Dec: Myeongdong Cathedral 09:00 Mass, Anglican Cathedral 09:30, International Parish 09:00 and 11:00 | Regular schedules; Christmas times posted in December |
| Last train on Christmas night | Holiday timetable: about 23:50, an hour earlier than on the 24th | Last-train guide |
Seoul hotels on Agoda — book Christmas Eve before the cakes go on sale Christmas Eve is the night Korean couples book hotels, and Seoul hotel rooms have been reported at twice their normal rate or more. In 2026 the 24th is a Thursday and the 25th starts a three-day weekend, so both nights will be in demand. Compare a Myeongdong or City Hall base, close to the façades and the late trains. EpicKor may earn a commission if you book through this Agoda link, at no extra cost to you. Check dates, taxes, cancellation terms and the final price on Agoda before booking.
Compare Seoul stays on AgodaIs Christmas a public holiday in Korea?
Yes. Christmas has been a public holiday since 1949, when the new government's first holiday regulation listed it, at a time when only a small minority of Koreans were Christian. Today it is item 10 of Article 2 of the Regulation on Public Holidays of Government Offices (관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정), under the name 기독탄신일. Most people just say 성탄절 (Christmas Day) or 크리스마스.
Two rules matter for planning:
- Only the 25th is a holiday. Christmas Eve is a working day. Offices close at the usual time, and the evening rush is when Korea's Christmas actually begins.
- Christmas now gets a substitute holiday (대체공휴일). Since a 2023 amendment, if the 25th falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is a day off. In 2026 this does not apply: the 25th is a Friday, so the long weekend happens on its own.
The Friday holiday has a side effect visitors feel. A three-day weekend sends Koreans travelling, so KTX trains out of Seoul on Friday 25 December and back on Sunday 27 December sell out early in a normal year. Since 1 October 2026 Korail opens tickets two months ahead, as our train-booking guide explains, so Christmas trains go on sale in late October. Book as soon as your date opens. The same pattern repeats on New Year's Day, Friday 1 January 2027.
What closes and what stays open on 25 December
These are the normal holiday rules plus the official schedules as they stood in October 2026. For each palace and museum, check the line "closed on" against Friday 25 December.
| Place | 25 December 2026 | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Bank branches (은행) | Closed | ATMs work; airport exchange counters stay open |
| Post offices (우체국) | Closed | Ship parcels by Thursday 24th |
| Government offices, immigration offices | Closed | The airport immigration counters run as normal |
| Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) | Open | Closed Tuesdays only. Nov–Feb 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:00; adults ₩3,000, free in hanbok |
| Deoksugung Palace (덕수궁) | Open | Closed Mondays. Open to 21:00, next to the Anglican Cathedral |
| National Museum of Korea (국립중앙박물관) | Open | Free; 09:30–17:30 on a Friday (Wed and Sat to 21:00); closes only on 1 Jan, Seollal and Chuseok |
| Department stores (Shinsegae, Lotte, Hyundai) | Open | Normal holiday hours, roughly 10:30–20:00 or 20:30; very crowded |
| Large supermarkets (Emart, Homeplus, Lotte Mart) | Open on the 25th | They close two days a month by law: in most of Seoul the 2nd and 4th Sundays, which in December 2026 are the 13th and 27th; some districts, including Seocho, Dongdaemun and Jung-gu, use the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays (9th and 23rd) |
| Restaurants and cafés | Open | Dinner on the 24th and 25th needs a booking |
| Convenience stores | Open, 24 hours | Hot packs, cakes and drinks |
The supermarket line is the one most likely to change: a bill in the National Assembly would move the monthly closures onto public holidays. If you plan a big shop on Sunday the 27th, check the store's notice first. Restaurants that close for Seollal mostly stay open for Christmas, a good night for business; our restaurant hours guide explains break times and last orders.
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Why Christmas in Korea is a couples' day
Korea is not a majority-Christian country. In the last census that asked about religion (Statistics Korea, 2015), 19.7% of people said they were Protestant and 7.9% Catholic, while 56.1% said they had no religion. For the Christian quarter, Christmas is a church day; the cathedrals and big churches are full. For most of the rest, it has become a date.
There is a historical reason. From 1945 to January 1982, South Korea had a night curfew (통행금지), and Christmas Eve was one of the few nights it was lifted. For decades, 24 December was the one winter night young people could stay out legally, and it became the night to go out, together. The curfew is long gone, but the habit stayed. Family gatherings belong to Seollal and Chuseok; Christmas belongs to couples and friends.
For a visitor:
- The night of the 24th, not the 25th, is the peak. Restaurants in Myeongdong, Jongno, Hongdae, Itaewon and Seongsu are fully booked, and couples' set menus (커플 세트) appear everywhere.
- Hotel rooms are the expensive part. Korea JoongAng Daily reported in December 2024 that hotels with rooms left charge at least twice the normal rate for Christmas Eve.
If you are travelling as a couple, Christmas fits the same calendar as Pepero Day and the 100-day anniversary. Our couple anniversaries guide explains that calendar and what gifts are normal.
Christmas cake prices in Korea: ₩4,900 to ₩500,000
The Christmas cake (크리스마스 케이크) is the one Korean Christmas purchase almost everyone makes, and most people pre-order (사전예약) it. The usual Korean cake is a light strawberry and fresh-cream sponge, not a fruitcake. The 2026 lists have not been announced. In 2025 the chains revealed their cakes in mid-November and opened pre-orders straight away. Here is what 2025 cost.
| Where | Cake (2025) | Price (2025) | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS25 convenience stores | Mini cakes (2 kinds) / Real Milk Cake (whole) | ₩4,900 / ₩18,800 | App pre-order or in store |
| Paris Baguette (파리바게뜨) | Berry Bomb (베리밤), strawberries covering the outside | ₩39,000 | Pre-order 19 Nov–19 Dec 2025, up to 30% off |
| Tous les Jours (뚜레쥬르) | Strawberry Queen holiday edition, 5 Sanrio character cakes | Not listed in the launch release | App pre-order to 22 Dec, up to 30% off with membership coupon; pick-up 19–25 Dec |
| Westin Seoul Parnas | Blanc Forêt / Pistachio Wreath | ₩130,000 / ₩98,000 | Hotel pre-order |
| Four Seasons Seoul | Diamond Four Seasons Leaf | ₩300,000 | Hotel pre-order |
| Grand InterContinental Parnas | Merry-Go-Round (50 made) | ₩350,000 | Hotel pre-order |
| Walkerhill | Lumière Blanche | ₩380,000 | Pre-order from 1 Dec |
| The Shilla Seoul | Noir Truffle Mini / The Joyful Shilla Bear / The Finest Luxury | ₩80,000 / ₩350,000 / ₩500,000 | Hotel pre-order; the ₩500,000 cake, made with white truffle, was limited to 3 a day |
Three things to know before you buy one.
Pre-ordering is where the discount is. The chain discounts of up to 30% apply only to app pre-orders, which visitors can rarely use because they need a Korean phone number and payment method. Walk-in buyers pay the list price. In 2025 Paris Baguette's ₩39,000 Berry Bomb was a palm-sized cake: news reports in December described buyers comparing it to a single serving once they cut it. Look at the size printed on the box before paying.
Hotel cake prices keep climbing. The Shilla's top cake went from ₩300,000 in 2023 to ₩400,000 in 2024 and ₩500,000 in 2025, and its bear cake from ₩300,000 to ₩350,000 in a year. The ₩500,000 cakes sold out early. Unless you are in Seoul for a once-in-a-lifetime proposal, the useful hotel cakes are the ₩80,000–₩130,000 small ones.
Pick-up days are a queue. Chain bakeries hand out pre-orders from about 19 to 25 December, and the evening of the 24th is the busiest.
Hotel buffet and Christmas dinner prices
Seoul's big hotel buffets raise prices for a "high season" covering the last two weeks of December. In 2025:
| Hotel, restaurant | When (2025) | Adult price (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| The Shilla Seoul, The Parkview | Dinner, high season 19–31 Dec | ₩225,000 (₩203,000 on 1–18 Dec) |
| Lotte Hotel Seoul, La Seine | Dinner, 19–31 Dec | ₩225,000 |
| Four Seasons Seoul, The Market Kitchen | 24, 25 and 31 Dec | ₩215,000 (up from ₩205,000) |
| Seoul's four big buffets (Shilla, Lotte, Josun, Josun Palace) | Christmas and year-end weekend peak | about ₩218,000 average (₩183,000 in 2022) |
For two people, a Christmas buffet at a top Seoul hotel was about ₩450,000 in 2025, before drinks. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day sittings open for booking weeks ahead and fill early. If you want one, reserve as soon as the hotel publishes its December menu, usually in November. The far cheaper Korean Christmas dinner is the one many couples actually eat: a pasta or steak couples' set at a neighbourhood restaurant. Booking still matters, because tables run out on the 24th.
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Christmas lights beyond Winter Festa: Myeongdong's façade duel
The city's own Christmas programme, the lantern stream on Cheonggyecheon, the Gwanghwamun Christmas market and the Seoul Plaza rink, is all in our Seoul Winter Festa guide, with the 2026 dates already confirmed (14 December to 31 January). That guide also covers the Lotte Town Christmas Market in Jamsil and the Hyundai Seoul's indoor village. This page covers what the department stores do, which is mostly in Myeongdong, and it changes in 2026.
Shinsegae Square (신세계스퀘어), the Shinsegae main store. The façade of Shinsegae's main store is now a giant LED screen. In 2025 it was enlarged to 1,353.64 m², more than three basketball courts, and showed a roughly three-minute Christmas film, "A Magical World Connecting Time", from 17:00 to midnight every day, starting on 7 November. The soundtrack was carols and Beethoven's Fifth, recorded by the Czech Philharmonic. Shinsegae counted about 992,000 visitors in November and December 2024. The best viewing spot is across the road at exits 1 and 2 of the Hoehyeon Underground Shopping Center (회현지하쇼핑센터). Line 4 Hoehyeon Station is underneath it.
Lotte Department Store, from December 2026: a second screen. Lotte announced on 30 July 2026 that it is putting a media façade called Lotte Town Light on its Young Plaza building at the Myeongdong main store: 77 m wide, 21 m tall, about 1,614 m², visible from up to a kilometre away, bigger than Shinsegae's. A teaser is due in November 2026 and regular operation in December 2026. Christmas 2026 will be the first season with two giant screens a few hundred metres apart on the same street. Lotte has not published the Christmas programme or hours yet; we will add them when it does. In 2025 Lotte lit the main store and Jamsil store with 30,000 LEDs and put a 13 m tree at Euljiro 1-ga Station, exit 7.
Myeongdong Cathedral (명동대성당), a five-minute walk up the hill from the façades, puts up trees and a crib in its courtyard. In 2025 about 20 market stalls by the cathedral sold chestnuts, sausages and crafts after Mass. One walk links the three: Shinsegae façade, Lotte façade, Myeongdong's main street, then up to the cathedral, about a kilometre in all. Go after 21:00 on the 23rd or the 26th if you want to see the screens without the Christmas Eve crowd.
Christmas church services in English
Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday, so the regular Sunday English services fall on 27 December. Churches post their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day times in December. These are the standing English services, from each church's own pages.
| Church | English service | Christmas notes | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myeongdong Cathedral (Catholic, 명동대성당) | Sunday Mass in English, 09:00 | Christmas Mass is in Korean. In 2025 the Archbishop of Seoul said the Christmas Day Mass at noon, and the church was packed despite the cold | Myeongdong Station (Line 4) or Euljiro 1-ga (Line 2) |
| St Francis Catholic International Parish (Hannam-dong) | Sunday Mass in English, 09:00 and 11:00 | A multinational parish with Masses in several languages. The parish posts its Christmas schedule in December | Near Hangangjin Station (Line 6) |
| Seoul Anglican Cathedral (Jeong-dong) | Holy Communion in English, Sunday 09:30, crypt chapel | The cathedral is 100 years old in 2026 (consecrated 1926) | City Hall Station (Lines 1 and 2), beside Deoksugung |
| Yoido Full Gospel Church (Protestant) | Seven Sunday services from 07:00 with simultaneous English interpretation | One of the largest congregations in the world; expect very large crowds at Christmas | National Assembly Station (Line 9), exit 1 |
Visitors are welcome at all four. For a Korean-language Christmas Eve Mass at Myeongdong, arrive at least an hour early. The 2025 coverage described the courtyard as packed (인산인해) even in sub-zero weather.
Getting home on Christmas night
This is the part most guides skip, and it is where Christmas night goes wrong.
- Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, is a weekday. The subway runs its weekday timetable, with last trains around 00:50 at central stations. Our last-train guide lists them station by station.
- Christmas Day, Friday 25 December, runs the holiday timetable. Last trains are about an hour earlier, around 23:50. People who stay out on the 25th as they did on the 24th miss the last train.
- No extension for Christmas. Seoul runs the subway to 02:00 only for New Year's Eve, as the Winter Festa guide explains. It does not do this for Christmas.
- Taxis cost more and are scarce. A Seoul taxi's ₩4,800 base fare carries a 20% night surcharge from 22:00 to 23:00 and from 02:00 to 04:00, and 40% from 23:00 to 02:00, which makes the base ₩6,700. Hailing one in Myeongdong or Hongdae after midnight on the 24th can take half an hour. Use Kakao T. Our large-taxi guide covers the van options for groups.
- Night buses (올빼미버스) run 14 routes from 23:00 to 06:00 and are the realistic backup.
The weather is the other trap. Seoul's December nights average −3.4°C (Korea Meteorological Administration normals), and an hour in front of a façade screen is an hour standing still. Koreans do it in a long padded coat (the 롱패딩 our winter guide explains) with a hot pack in each pocket. Convenience stores sell those for about ₩1,000.
Three honest notes
- Don't plan errands for the 25th. Banks, post offices and immigration offices are shut. If you need cash exchanged, a parcel sent or a document stamped, do it on the 24th.
- Don't pay ₩500,000 for a cake to try "Korean Christmas". A ₩4,900 convenience-store mini cake on the 25th is a perfectly Korean answer. The ₩39,000 chain cake is the middle choice, and it is small.
- Don't go out to dinner on the 24th without a booking. Walk-in tables in popular areas are close to impossible. Eat at 17:00, or move your celebration to the 23rd.
FAQ
Q: Is Christmas a public holiday in Korea? A: Yes. 25 December (기독탄신일) has been a public holiday since 1949. Banks, post offices and government offices close; palaces, museums, department stores, restaurants and convenience stores stay open. Christmas Eve is not a holiday. In 2026 the 25th is a Friday, so Korea has a three-day weekend, 25–27 December.
Q: Is Gyeongbokgung open on Christmas Day? A: Yes, in 2026. Gyeongbokgung closes only on Tuesdays, and 25 December 2026 is a Friday. Winter hours are 09:00–17:00 with last entry at 16:00, and adult tickets cost ₩3,000 (free if you wear hanbok). Deoksugung, closed on Mondays, is open until 21:00.
Q: How much is a Christmas cake in Korea? A: In 2025, from ₩4,900 for a convenience-store mini cake to ₩39,000 for Paris Baguette's Berry Bomb, and ₩80,000–₩500,000 at Seoul's luxury hotels, where the Shilla's top cake was ₩500,000. The 2026 prices are announced in mid-November.
Q: Where can I go to church in English at Christmas in Seoul? A: Myeongdong Cathedral has a Sunday English Mass at 09:00, St Francis Catholic International Parish in Hannam-dong at 09:00 and 11:00, and the Seoul Anglican Cathedral a 09:30 English service. Yoido Full Gospel Church interprets its Sunday services into English. Christmas Eve and Day times are posted on each church's site in December.
Sources
- Regulation on Public Holidays of Government Offices (관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정), Art. 2 (기독탄신일) and Art. 3 (substitute holidays, extended to Christmas by the May 2023 amendment); Korean Law Information Center (law.go.kr).
- Statistics Korea, 2015 Population and Housing Census, religion: Protestant 19.7%, Catholic 7.9%, no religion 56.1%.
- Night curfew 1945–1982 and the Christmas Eve exemption; hotel rates on Christmas Eve: Korea JoongAng Daily (21 Dec 2024), "[WHY] 'Valentine's Day, with Santa': How Christmas became a couples' holiday in Korea".
- 2025 Christmas cakes: Newsis, 17 Nov 2025 (Shilla, Walkerhill, Parnas, Westin Parnas, Four Seasons, GS25); Seoul Shinmun, 24 Nov 2025 (buffet averages); The Fact, 21 Dec 2024 (Shilla top cake ₩300,000 in 2023, ₩400,000 in 2024); Herald Corporation, 17 Nov 2025; ZDNet Korea, 17 Dec 2025 (Paris Baguette Berry Bomb ₩39,000); SmartToday 2025 (pre-order dates); Newsis, Seoul Finance and Slist, 17 Nov 2025 (Tous les Jours: 50 products, pre-order to 22 Dec, pick-up 19–25 Dec).
- 2025 hotel buffets: Newsis, 28 Nov 2025 (Parkview, La Seine, Market Kitchen); Seoul Shinmun, 24 Nov 2025 (four-hotel average ₩218,000 vs ₩183,000 in 2022).
- Shinsegae Square 2025: Gukje News and Shinsegae Group Newsroom, 18 Nov 2025 (1,353.64 m², 17:00–midnight, 7 Nov start, Hoehyeon exits 1–2); 2024 visitor count of about 992,000 for November–December from Shinsegae's release via SmartToday.
- Lotte Town Light: Kyunghyang Shinmun and iNews24, 30 Jul 2026 (77 × 21 m, about 1,614 m², teaser Nov 2026, operation Dec 2026). Lotte 2025 Christmas: Financial News, 30 Oct 2025.
- Myeongdong Cathedral Christmas 2025: Newsis, 25 Dec 2025. English Mass times: weekdaymasses.org.uk listing; St Francis International Parish (church.catholic.or.kr/international); Seoul Anglican Cathedral English Mission; Yoido Full Gospel Church English site (english.fgtv.com).
- Palace hours: Royal Palaces and Tombs Center (royal.khs.go.kr). National Museum of Korea hours: museum.go.kr (2026 schedule). Supermarket closure days: Seoul district notices and Newstomato/Newsis reporting, 2024–2025.
- Last trains, taxi surcharges and Seoul weather normals: our guides 453, 454 and 458, each with its own sources.
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