South Korea Public Holidays 2026
South Korea has 12 national public holidays in 2026, starting with New Year's Day on January 1, 2026 and ending with Christmas Day on December 25, 2026. 5 of them fall on a Saturday or Sunday this year, so the number of extra days away from the desk depends on the calendar.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day์ ์ | January 1, 2026 | Thursday | Public holiday |
| Korean New Year์ค๋ | February 17 to 19, 2026 | Tuesday | Public holiday3 days |
| Independence Movement Day3ยท1์ | March 1, 2026 | SundayWeekend | Public holiday |
| Children's Day์ด๋ฆฐ์ด๋ | May 5, 2026 | Tuesday | Public holiday |
| Buddha's Birthday์๊ฐํ์ ์ผ | May 24, 2026 | SundayWeekend | Public holiday |
| Memorial Dayํ์ถฉ์ผ | June 6, 2026 | SaturdayWeekend | Public holiday |
| Constitution Day์ ํ์ | July 17, 2026 | Friday | Public holiday |
| Liberation Day๊ด๋ณต์ | August 15, 2026 | SaturdayWeekend | Public holiday |
| Korean Thanksgiving์ถ์ | September 24 to 26, 2026 | Thursday | Public holiday3 days |
| National Foundation Day๊ฐ์ฒ์ | October 3, 2026 | SaturdayWeekend | Public holiday |
| Hangul Dayํ๊ธ๋ | October 9, 2026 | Friday | Public holiday |
| Christmas Day๊ธฐ๋ ํ์ ์ผ | December 25, 2026 | Friday | Public holiday |
May is the densest month for holidays, which tends to shape travel and shopping patterns. The table below lists every South Korea public holiday for 2026 with its exact date and the weekday it falls on, so you can see the long weekends at a glance. Only nationwide public holidays are included here, which keeps the South Korea calendar clean and comparable.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does South Korea have in 2026?
South Korea has 12 national public holidays in 2026. The first is New Year's Day on January 1, 2026 and the last is Christmas Day on December 25, 2026.
What is the first public holiday of 2026 in South Korea?
The first public holiday of 2026 is New Year's Day, which falls on January 1, 2026.
When is New Year celebrated in South Korea in 2026?
In 2026, New Year's Day in South Korea is on January 1, 2026.
Are regional holidays included for South Korea?
No. This calendar lists national public holidays only, so it stays consistent across countries. Holidays that apply to just part of South Korea are listed separately on the South Korea holiday hub, together with the regions that observe them.
Do the South Korea holiday dates change from 2026 to the next year?
Some of them do. 3 of the 12 holidays in 2026 sit on a moving rule (lunisolar calendar), so their date has to be recalculated for every year. The rest keep the same calendar date and only change weekday. Moving ones this year include Korean New Year on February 17, 2026, Buddha's Birthday on May 24, 2026 and Korean Thanksgiving on September 24, 2026.
How far ahead is the South Korea calendar actually fixed?
Through 2027. The holidays are set in law rather than announced year by year, so the dates repeat predictably. What can still change is a law amendment, a one-off holiday declared for a national event, and the exact day of any holiday on the Islamic calendar, which is confirmed by moon sighting. No corrections to the underlying dataset were needed for South Korea.
Which South Korea holidays are regional, and which move?
The table above is the national calendar for 2026. Some holidays keep the same date every year while others are tied to Easter, to a lunar calendar or to a named weekday, and some parts of the country add their own days off. The South Korea holiday hub breaks that down: which holidays are fixed, which move and why, and which ones are observed in certain regions only. To compare South Korea with other countries in the same year, see the 2026 worldwide overview.
Other years for South Korea
Planning further ahead or looking back? Compare the South Korea public holiday calendar across years: