Korea Public Holidays 2027: 15 Weekday Days Off, 7 Substitute Days and the Long Weekends to Book Now
Last updated: 27 October 2026. Dates read that day in the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute's 2027 calendar data (한국천문연구원 달력자료, version 1.0a, generated 30 June 2026), which follows the government's 2027 calendar (월력요항) of 29 June 2026. Holiday and substitute rules read the same day in 관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정 (Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices) as amended on 30 April 2026, on law.go.kr. ₩1,334 = US$1 (Federal Reserve, 16 October 2026). Sources at the end.
Korea public holidays 2027 come to 24 dated days off, but nine of them fall on a Saturday or a Sunday, so the number that matters to anyone with a Monday-to-Friday week is 15 weekday holidays. Seven of those are substitute holidays (대체공휴일, daeche gonghyuil): the law moves a weekend holiday to the next working day, and in 2027 that happens to Seollal, Labour Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangul Day and Christmas. The result is a year of three-day weekends ending on a Monday, plus two mid-week holidays (Seollal's Tuesday and Chuseok's Tuesday to Thursday) that a few days of leave turn into nine-day breaks.
2027 is also the first full year in which Labour Day (노동절, 1 May) and Constitution Day (제헌절, 17 July) are official public holidays. Both were added in 2026. Older holiday lists may still show 1 May as "workers only" and leave 17 July out. Both are now days off for government offices and public schools (banks generally close on public holidays too), and both get a substitute Monday in 2027 because they land on a Saturday.
Planning a 2027 long weekend outside Seoul? Lonely Planet Korea has the regional itineraries and maps for Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju and Jeju. See it on AmazonAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Quick Guide: Korea Public Holidays 2027 at a Glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Dated holidays | 24 (17 named holiday days plus 7 substitute days) |
| Weekday days off | 15. With 104 Saturdays and Sundays, a five-day worker has 119 days off in 2027 (our count from the calendar) |
| Substitute days | 7: Tue 9 Feb, Mon 3 May, Mon 19 Jul, Mon 16 Aug, Mon 4 Oct, Mon 11 Oct, Mon 27 Dec |
| Lost to the weekend | Memorial Day, Sun 6 June: no substitute, because the rule does not cover it |
| Three-day-plus breaks | 10, counting Seollal (4 days) and Chuseok (Tue–Thu) |
| Best leave buys | 2 days for 9 off at Chuseok (11–19 Sep); 4 days for 10 off in October (2–11 Oct); 1 day for 5 off in May (1–5 May) |
| Election day | None in 2027. Next national votes: general election April 2028, presidential and local elections 2030 |
| Train tickets | Normal days: two months ahead at 07:00 (since 1 Oct 2026). Seollal and Chuseok: a separate holiday sale |
If you are booking a long weekend away from Seoul, the hotel is usually the part that sells out after the train. Busan is the most common three-day escape by KTX, and its beach hotels fill on the October and Chuseok weekends.
Busan hotels on Agoda for a 2027 long weekend — book the base before the KTX sale opens The 2–4 and 9–11 October weekends and Chuseok week are the dates Korean families book first. Pick a hotel near Haeundae or Busan Station, enter your own dates, then check the cancellation terms, the room type and the final price including tax before you book. EpicKor may earn a commission from qualifying bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Compare Busan hotels on AgodaYou might like: Seollal 2027: Korea's Lunar New Year Is 7 February, Not the 6th — the 6–9 Feb Holiday, KTX Tickets and What Closes
Every 2027 Public Holiday in Korea, With the Substitute Days
This is the full list, in the order of the year. The Korean names are what you will see on calendars, bank notices and the Korail app.
| Holiday | Korean | 2027 date | Substitute day |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1월 1일 (신정) | Fri 1 Jan | Not needed |
| Seollal (Lunar New Year), 3 days | 설날 | Sat 6 – Mon 8 Feb | Tue 9 Feb (Seollal day is a Sunday) |
| Independence Movement Day | 3·1절 (삼일절) | Mon 1 Mar | Not needed |
| Labour Day | 노동절 | Sat 1 May | Mon 3 May |
| Children's Day | 어린이날 | Wed 5 May | Not needed |
| Buddha's Birthday | 부처님 오신 날 | Thu 13 May | Not needed |
| Memorial Day | 현충일 | Sun 6 Jun | None (not covered by the rule) |
| Constitution Day | 제헌절 | Sat 17 Jul | Mon 19 Jul |
| Liberation Day | 광복절 | Sun 15 Aug | Mon 16 Aug |
| Chuseok, 3 days | 추석 | Tue 14 – Thu 16 Sep | None (no day falls on a Sunday) |
| National Foundation Day | 개천절 | Sun 3 Oct | Mon 4 Oct |
| Hangul Day | 한글날 | Sat 9 Oct | Mon 11 Oct |
| Christmas Day | 기독탄신일 (성탄절) | Sat 25 Dec | Mon 27 Dec |
Three dates catch people out:
- Seollal is 7 February in Korea, not 6 February. China's Spring Festival is a day earlier because the new moon falls near midnight and Korea runs an hour ahead of Beijing. Our Seollal 2027 guide explains the shift.
- Christmas moves to Monday 27 December, not Sunday 26. Sunday is itself a holiday under the regulation, so the substitute skips it and lands on the first ordinary day. The same happens to Labour Day: Saturday 1 May, Sunday 2 May, then Monday 3 May off.
- New Year's Day 2028 is a Saturday and gets nothing. 1 January is not on the substitute list, so do not plan around a Monday off on 3 January 2028.
How Korea's Substitute Holiday Rule Works, and Why Memorial Day Misses Out
The rule sits in Article 3 of the 관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정, the presidential decree that sets public holidays for government offices. We read the text in force from 11 May 2026. It has three triggers, and they are not the same for every holiday:
- National holidays (국경일), Buddha's Birthday, Labour Day, Children's Day and Christmas get a substitute day when they fall on a Saturday or a Sunday. The national holidays are 3·1절, 제헌절, 광복절, 개천절 and 한글날.
- Seollal and Chuseok get a substitute day only when one of their three days falls on a Sunday. A Saturday earns nothing. That is why Seollal 2027 gets Tuesday 9 February (the 7th is a Sunday) and Chuseok 2027 gets nothing (Tuesday to Thursday). The full Chuseok picture is in our Chuseok 2027 guide.
- Any of those holidays also gets a substitute when it lands on another holiday on a weekday, for example Children's Day on Buddha's Birthday, which last happened in 2025.
The substitute is always "the first non-holiday after the holiday", and Sundays count as holidays, so a Saturday holiday followed by a Sunday moves to the Monday.
Memorial Day (현충일, 6 June) and New Year's Day (1 January) are not on the list. In 2027 Memorial Day is a Sunday and simply disappears from the working week. There is no substitute Monday 7 June.
What changed in 2026: Labour Day and Constitution Day
The regulation was amended on 30 April 2026 after two changes to the Act on Public Holidays (공휴일에 관한 법률). The Ministry of Personnel Management said the amendment reflects the purpose of making the two days public holidays, and the rule that national-day holidays get substitute days.
- Labour Day (노동절, 1 May) became a public holiday from 1 May 2026. Before that it was 근로자의 날, Workers' Day, a paid day off for private-sector employees only, while government offices stayed open. The law behind it was renamed 노동절 제정에 관한 법률 in late 2025. In 2027, government offices, public schools and banks close on Saturday 1 May anyway and on the substitute Monday, 3 May.
- Constitution Day (제헌절, 17 July) became a public holiday again from 11 May 2026. It had been one until 2007, then stayed a national day without a day off. In 2027 it is a Saturday, so Monday 19 July is off.
Who actually gets these days off
The regulation binds government offices. For private-sector employees, the Labor Standards Act (근로기준법) Article 55(2) and Article 30(2) of its enforcement decree make the same public holidays and the substitute days paid days off at any workplace with five or more employees. Workplaces with fewer than five are not bound by that article, so in a small café, a family restaurant or a tiny academy, a substitute Monday may be a normal working day. Korean reporting says Labour Day itself is a paid day off for workers under its own law, including at small workplaces. If you work in Korea on a contract, check it, and our minimum wage guide covers the holiday pay you are owed.
No Election Day Holiday in 2027
Korea's regulation makes the polling day of a regularly scheduled national or local election a public holiday (Article 2, item 10-2, citing Article 34 of the Public Official Election Act). There is none in 2027:
- Presidential election: the 21st was held early, on 3 June 2025, after the previous president was removed from office. The five-year term runs to 2030, so the next one is in 2030. Some older English pages still list a "March 2027 presidential election" from the original schedule. That election will not happen.
- General election: the 22nd National Assembly was elected in April 2024 for four years, so the 23rd is due in April 2028.
- Local elections: the 9th were held on 3 June 2026. The next are in 2030.
By-elections (재보궐선거) are not public holidays. A one-off day can still be added by the cabinet, which is how early elections and some "bonus" holidays happen. That is covered below.
You might like: Hangul Day in Korea: October 9, the 2027 Monday Off, and What Closes
The 2027 Long-Weekend Planner: Which Days to Take Off
For a visitor, a holiday is a reason to book early or avoid a date. For anyone working in Korea, it is a chance to turn a few days of annual leave into a real trip. Here are the breaks in 2027, with the leave days that bridge them. The counts are ours from the calendar.
| Break | Days off with no leave | Leave to take | Total break | Crowd level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year | Fri 1 – Sun 3 Jan (3) | None | 3 days | Moderate |
| Seollal | Sat 6 – Tue 9 Feb (4) | Wed 10 – Fri 12 Feb (3) | 9 days, 6–14 Feb | Very high |
| 3·1절 | Sat 27 Feb – Mon 1 Mar (3) | None | 3 days | Moderate |
| Labour Day + Children's Day | Sat 1 – Mon 3 May (3) | Tue 4 May (1) | 5 days, 1–5 May | High |
| Early May, extended | As above | Tue 4, Thu 6, Fri 7 May (3) | 9 days, 1–9 May | High |
| Buddha's Birthday | Thu 13 May (1) | Fri 14 May (1) | 4 days, 13–16 May | Moderate |
| Memorial Day | Sun 6 Jun | None | Normal weekend | Normal |
| Constitution Day | Sat 17 – Mon 19 Jul (3) | None | 3 days | High (summer holiday season) |
| Liberation Day | Sat 14 – Mon 16 Aug (3) | None | 3 days | High (summer holiday season) |
| Chuseok | Tue 14 – Thu 16 Sep (3) | Mon 13, Fri 17 Sep (2) | 9 days, 11–19 Sep | Very high |
| October double | Sat 2 – Mon 4 and Sat 9 – Mon 11 Oct (6) | Tue 5 – Fri 8 Oct (4) | 10 days, 2–11 Oct | Very high |
| Christmas to New Year | Sat 25 – Mon 27 Dec (3) | Tue 28 – Fri 31 Dec (4) | 9 days, 25 Dec – 2 Jan 2028 | High |
Which bridges are worth booking first. Our reading, not a forecast:
- Chuseok week (11–19 September) is the cheapest big break in 2027: two days of leave for nine days. That also makes it the one most Korean office workers will try for, so domestic flights to Jeju and trains on Monday 13 and Sunday 19 September will be the hardest seats of the year.
- The October double (2–11 October) is the longest. Even without the four bridge days, it gives two three-day weekends a week apart. Busan, Gyeongju and Jeju hotels fill on both, and the Friday-evening trains on 1 and 8 October go first. Our Hangul Day guide has the October detail.
- Early May (1–5 May) costs one day of leave. Children's Day is a family day, so theme parks, zoos and the Han River parks are packed on Wednesday 5 May.
- The summer Mondays (19 July and 16 August) fall in the middle of Korea's peak beach season. Expect Gangneung, Sokcho and Busan's Haeundae to be full regardless of the holiday.
If you are visiting rather than working, the useful rule is the reverse: plan city days for the long weekends, when Seoul empties, and travel between cities on ordinary weekdays. The busiest roads and trains are the day before a break and its last afternoon.
Train Tickets for the 2027 Holidays: When They Go on Sale
Korail changed its booking window on 1 October 2026: tickets for ordinary days now open two months before departure at 07:00 Korea time, calendar date to calendar date. Before that, it was one month. Our two-month booking guide has the details. For 2027 that means:
| Travel date | What it is | Tickets open (normal rule) |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 26 Feb 2027 | Out for the 3·1절 weekend | 26 Dec 2026, 07:00 |
| Fri 30 Apr 2027 | Out for Labour Day weekend | 28 Feb 2027, 07:00 (no 30 Feb; check the app) |
| Fri 16 Jul 2027 | Out for Constitution Day weekend | 16 May 2027, 07:00 |
| Fri 13 Aug 2027 | Out for Liberation Day weekend | 13 Jun 2027, 07:00 |
| Fri 1 Oct 2027 | Out for the first October weekend | 1 Aug 2027, 07:00 |
| Fri 8 Oct 2027 | Out for the Hangul Day weekend | 8 Aug 2027, 07:00 |
| Fri 24 Dec 2027 | Out for Christmas weekend | 24 Oct 2027, 07:00 |
The 30 April row is our reading of a date that does not exist two months earlier. Korail has not said how it handles it, so check the app in late February.
Seollal and Chuseok are different. Korail has usually sold Seollal and Chuseok trains in a separate advance sale a few weeks before travel, not on the rolling calendar. Whether the two-month rule replaces that sale in 2027 has not been announced. Our Seollal 2027 and Chuseok 2027 guides track both possibilities and will be updated when the notices come out, usually in early January and mid-August. Since the KTX–SRT merger of 1 September 2026, former SRT trains from Suseo sell in the same Korail app (merger guide).
A standard Seoul–Busan KTX seat is ₩54,400 (about US$41) one way since the 1 September 2026 merger (down from ₩59,800). Seats can still come back after the payment deadline passes, so a sold-out train is worth rechecking the next day.
You might like: Korea Train Tickets Open Two Months Ahead From 1 October 2026 — and Buses Rise 9%: Seoul–Busan KTX vs Bus
What Closes on a Korean Public Holiday, and What Stays Open
The short version: anything run by the state or a bank closes; anything that sells to people on their day off stays open. That holds for every holiday below, with Seollal and Chuseok the exceptions where small shops and restaurants also shut.
| Place | On a public or substitute holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bank branches | Closed | Generally closed. ATMs and app banking work |
| Government, immigration and district offices | Closed | Including on Labour Day since 2026. Visa extensions and address reports wait |
| Post office counters | Closed | Parcels and EMS wait for the next working day |
| Korea Exchange (stock market) | Closed | Follows the public-holiday calendar |
| Schools and universities | Closed | Hagwons (private academies) decide for themselves |
| Clinics and pharmacies | Mostly closed | Hospital emergency rooms are open; some duty pharmacies open by rota |
| Palaces and museums | Open, and busy | Each palace has its own weekly closing day; check royal.khs.go.kr before a Monday substitute day |
| Department stores, malls, Olive Young, cafés, restaurants | Open | Holidays are strong retail days. On Seollal and Chuseok days many small restaurants close |
| Subway and buses | Run on the holiday timetable | Check last-train times; see our last-train guide |
| Expressway tolls | Normal | The government has often waived tolls over Seollal and Chuseok; it is announced each time |
Monday substitute days are the ones that bite. On a Saturday holiday, banks and offices are closed anyway. It is the following Monday, when you expected to open a bank account, collect an alien registration card or post a parcel, that the counter is shut. In 2027 that is 3 May, 19 July, 16 August, 4 October, 11 October and 27 December, plus Tuesday 9 February.
Christmas is a full public holiday in Korea, but it is a couples' day rather than a family one: restaurants and hotel buffets are booked out on the 24th and 25th. Our Christmas in Korea guide has what is open and what it costs.
What Could Still Change in 2027: Read This Before You Book
This calendar is fixed by a regulation, not by tradition, and the regulation has changed twice in 2026 alone. Three things can still move:
- A temporary holiday can be added at a few weeks' notice. Article 2(11) covers "a day the government designates from time to time", decided after cabinet deliberation under Article 4. It has used that power recently: Monday 27 January 2025 was added to make a six-day Seollal break, and Tuesday 1 October 2024 made Armed Forces Day a one-off holiday. The government decided in September 2024. Reports in 2025 that 10 October 2025 would become a holiday came to nothing. So a bonus day before Chuseok 2027 (Monday 13 September) or between the October weekends is possible but not something to plan on. Book refundable if your trip depends on it.
- The law can change again. Proposals to give Memorial Day a substitute day, or to add more holidays, surface every year. Nothing in force covers 2027 as of 27 October 2026.
- The source data carries its own warning. KASI's 2027 page says the official version is the government's 월력요항 calendar. If they ever differ, the government's calendar is the reference.
And the honest counterpoint for visitors: a long weekend in Korea is not a bargain. Domestic hotel prices, Jeju flights and KTX demand all peak on exactly these dates, and on Seollal and Chuseok many family-run restaurants close. If your dates are flexible, the week after a long weekend is usually calmer and cheaper than the weekend itself. Our Seoul hotel prices by month show how much the peak months cost.
You might like: Chuseok 2027 in Korea: 14–16 September, No Substitute Day — When Train Seats Sell and What Closes
FAQ
Q: How many public holidays does Korea have in 2027? A: 24 dated holidays, including 7 substitute days. Nine fall on a weekend, so there are 15 weekday days off. With weekends, a Monday-to-Friday worker has 119 days off in 2027.
Q: Is 1 May (Labour Day) a public holiday in Korea in 2027? A: Yes. Since 1 May 2026, 노동절 is an official public holiday, so government offices and banks close as well as private employers. In 2027 it is a Saturday, and Monday 3 May is the substitute day.
Q: Is there a presidential election in Korea in 2027? A: No. The 21st presidential election was held early, on 3 June 2025, so the next is in 2030. The next general election is in April 2028. There is no election-day holiday in 2027.
Q: Does Memorial Day 2027 get a substitute holiday? A: No. Memorial Day (6 June) is a Sunday in 2027, and the substitute rule does not cover it. Monday 7 June is a normal working day.
Q: Are banks open on Korean public holidays? A: Bank branches close on every public and substitute holiday, including Labour Day. ATMs, card payments and banking apps keep working, and the exchange counters at Incheon Airport stay open.
Q: When can I book KTX tickets for a 2027 long weekend? A: Two months before the travel date, at 07:00 Korea time, on the Korail app or website. Seollal and Chuseok trains have so far gone on sale in a separate holiday sale a few weeks before; watch for those notices in January and August.
Q: Which 2027 long weekend is best for a trip? A: For a worker, Chuseok gives the most for the least: take Monday 13 and Friday 17 September and you get nine days off. For a visitor, the October weekends (2–4 and 9–11 October) have the best weather, but they are also the most booked.
Sources
- 한국천문연구원 (KASI), 2027년 달력자료 (국경일과 공휴일), version 1.0a generated 30 June 2026, read 27 October 2026.
- 「관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정」 (대통령령 제36290호, 2026. 4. 30. 일부개정, 시행 2026. 5. 1. / 5. 11.), Articles 2–4 and the Ministry of Government Legislation's reason for the amendment, National Law Information Center.
- 「근로기준법」 Article 55 and 「근로기준법 시행령」 Article 30(2); 「노동절 제정에 관한 법률」, law.go.kr.
- Labour Day and Constitution Day as public holidays, via Wikitree (News1), 2026.
- Temporary holiday of 27 January 2025, via Newsis, 14 January 2025; 1 October 2024, via Daum News, 3 September 2024; 10 October 2025 not designated, via Financial News, 15 September 2025; Labour Day rename, via Ministry of Personnel Management, 28 April 2026.
- Korail two-month booking window and Seoul–Busan fare, via Etoday (fare) and Topstar News (07:00 opening), summarised in our booking guide and Seollal 2027 guide; 2026 holiday ticket sales in our Chuseok 2027 guide.
- Palace closing days, summarised in our Hangul Day guide.
- Exchange rate: US Federal Reserve H.10, 16 October 2026.
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