South Korea Public Holidays 2025: Dates and Full List

South Korea gives its workers more vacation days than most people realize — 18 official public holidays in 2025, including substitute days that pop up when holidays land on weekends. For travelers or anyone coordinating with Korean partners, knowing exactly which dates to block off matters more than it might elsewhere. This guide runs through the full 2025 calendar, with dates cross-checked against holiday calendars and government portals.

Total Listed Holidays: 18 ·
Key January Dates: Jan 1, 27-28 ·
Buddha’s Birthday Substitute: May 6 ·
Fall Peak: October 3-9

How many Korea national holidays are there in 2025?

KOISRA UP confirms that South Korea observes 18 public holidays in 2025 including substitute holidays — a number that outpaces most developed economies. Public holidays in South Korea are commonly known as “Red Days” because they appear in red on printed calendars, and the country grants more statutory time off than many workers elsewhere receive total.

Since August 2021, a substitute holiday policy means that if Independence Movement Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, or Hangeul Day falls on a weekend, a weekday replacement day is granted. Since March 2023, this policy extended to Buddha’s Birthday and Christmas as well — workers get an extra day off if either holiday lands on Saturday or Sunday.

The substitute holiday policy has expanded significantly over time, granting additional compensation days for weekend holidays.

The practical effect: for workers on a five-day schedule, the 18 holidays combined with regular weekends total 119 days off through the year.

What is the Korea public holiday in October 2025?

October 2025 stands out for travelers and business planners alike. National Foundation Day falls on October 3, celebrating the founding of the Korean nation. This fixed-date holiday has been a public holiday since 2008, and under the August 2021 substitute policy, it qualifies for a weekday replacement if it lands on a weekend.

Hangeul Day follows on October 9, commemorating the invention of the Korean alphabet in 1446. Both dates fall on weekdays in 2025 — Friday and Thursday respectively — which means no substitutes are triggered this year.

Between those two holidays sits Chuseok. The major harvest festival spans October 5-7 (Sunday through Tuesday), with a substitute holiday observed on Wednesday, October 8. KOISRA UP confirms that Chuseok is one of Korea’s most important traditional holidays, drawing families together for ancestral rites and the sharing of seasonal foods like songpyeon rice cakes.

What are the Korean holidays in September 2025?

September does not carry a standalone public holiday in 2025. The closest significant date is Liberation Day on August 15, which marks Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation in 1945 — that event falls in August, not September.

However, the Chuseok holiday window beginning in late September through early October creates what OK Recruiting describes as the year’s most significant extended break period, potentially offering a seven-day span when Chuseok, National Foundation Day, and surrounding weekends align.

What are the Korean holidays in November 2025?

November 2025 does not feature a standalone public holiday. The closest significant observance is the Chuseok substitute on October 8, followed by the next major holiday cluster around Christmas in December.

The absence of a November public holiday means that for businesses planning year-end schedules, late October through early December represents a relatively uninterrupted work period — apart from weekends and standard observances.

What are the Korean holidays in December 2025?

Christmas Day falls on December 25, 2025 (Thursday). This marks the final official public holiday of the year. Under the extended substitute policy introduced in March 2023, if Christmas lands on a weekend, a replacement day is granted — but in 2025, it falls on a Thursday, so no substitute applies.

The December 25 date is confirmed across multiple holiday calendars, including 11holidays.com, which lists Christmas as a fixed national observance. For workers wrapping up the year, this closes out a calendar that has offered 68 days off when combined with Sundays.

Understanding South Korea’s holiday system

South Korea’s holiday framework operates through the Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices, which establishes rules for both fixed-date holidays and lunar calendar observances. The system reflects Korea’s blend of Western and traditional influences — and Seollal follow the lunar calendar, shifting dates yearly, while holidays like National Foundation Day and Liberation Day remain on fixed dates. For a look at how holidays are observed in another country, you can read Lundi de Pentecôte 2025.

The substitute holiday policy introduced in August 2021 was a significant expansion of worker rights in South Korea, adding compensation days for holidays that fall on weekends.

— Office Holidays (holiday policy reference)

The practical impact for travelers and business operators is substantial. Seollal triggers the year’s largest domestic migration as city workers return to ancestral hometowns, similar to the Chuseok exodus in October. Trip.com notes that major transportation networks add capacity during these windows, but accommodations book quickly.

Seollal is one of Korea’s most important holidays marked by family gatherings, ancestral rites, and traditional games — Chuseok is a major harvest festival where families perform ancestral rites and share traditional foods.

— Trip.com (cultural context for Korea’s major holidays)

The takeaway: the substitute holiday system adds a layer of complexity that fixed-date calendars in other countries rarely require. When a major holiday lands on Sunday, Monday suddenly becomes a workday — and workers who did not check the calendar show up surprised.

The substitute holiday system adds a layer of complexity that fixed-date calendars in other countries rarely require. When a major holiday lands on Sunday, Monday suddenly becomes a workday — and workers who did not check the calendar show up surprised. For HR departments and travel planners, the 2025 calendar warrants a careful review before year-end planning begins.

Related reading: Hong Kong Holiday 2025 · Government Payout 2025 Payout Date

Frequently asked questions

For travelers mapping out 2025, the stakes are concrete: two major holiday periods — Seollal in late January and Chuseok in early October — drive the year’s biggest domestic travel surges. Advance booking is not optional during these windows; it is the only way to secure transport and lodging.