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Public Holidays in South Korea 2026 + Free Staff Planning Template

Complete list of official public holidays and free downloadable staff planning templates

Official Public Holidays

18 holidays in South Korea for 2026

South Korea flag
Holiday Date Day Applies To
New Year's Day
New Year’s Day is the first day of the year, or January 1, in the Gregorian calendar.
 January 01 Thursday Nationwide
Seollal Holiday
Seollal Holiday is a public holiday in South Korea
 February 16 Monday Nationwide
Seollal
Lunar New Year is the first day of the Chinese calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar mainly use...
 February 17 Tuesday Nationwide
Seollal Holiday
Seollal Holiday is a public holiday in South Korea
 February 18 Wednesday Nationwide
Independence Movement Day
Independence Movement Day is a national holiday in South Korea
 March 01 Sunday Nationwide
Day off for Independence Movement Day
Independence Movement Day is a national holiday in South Korea
 March 02 Monday Nationwide
Labor Day
Labor Day, International Workers' Day, and May Day, is a day off for workers in many countries ar...
 May 01 Friday Nationwide
Children's Day
Children's Day is a public holiday in South Korea
 May 05 Tuesday Nationwide
Buddha’s Birthday
Buddha’s Birthday is a public holiday in South Korea
 May 24 Sunday Nationwide
Day off for Buddha’s Birthday
Buddha’s Birthday is a public holiday in South Korea
 May 25 Monday Nationwide
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a public holiday in South Korea
 June 06 Saturday Nationwide
Liberation Day
Liberation Day is a national holiday in South Korea
 August 15 Saturday Nationwide
Chuseok Holiday
Chuseok Holiday is a public holiday in South Korea
 September 24 Thursday Nationwide
Chuseok
Chuseok is a public holiday in South Korea
 September 25 Friday Nationwide
Chuseok Holiday
Chuseok Holiday is a public holiday in South Korea
 September 26 Saturday Nationwide
National Foundation Day
National Foundation Day is a national holiday in South Korea
 October 03 Saturday Nationwide
Hangeul Proclamation Day
Hangeul Proclamation Day is a national holiday in South Korea
 October 09 Friday Nationwide
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is one of the biggest Christian celebrations and falls on December 25 in the Gregor...
 December 25 Friday Nationwide

Legal Notice: This information is for guidance only and should not be considered legal advice. Always validate with local authorities or legal practitioners in South Korea.

📅 Free Staff Holiday Planning Templates

Download our ready-to-use templates to plan your team's time off around South Korea's public holidays

Google Sheets Template Excel Template

Perfect for HR managers, team leads, and small business owners planning staff coverage around public holidays

Managing staff leave around these holidays?

Stop juggling spreadsheets and manual processes. Leavetrack automatically handles public holidays and makes employee leave management effortless.

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Why HR Teams Choose Leavetrack

Everything you need for seamless leave management

Automatic Public Holiday Import
All public holidays for South Korea and 180+ other countries automatically loaded. No manual data entry required.
Save 5+ Hours Per Week
Eliminate manual leave calculations and reduce administrative overhead by up to 80%.
Compliance Made Easy
Built-in compliance tracking ensures you meet local employment laws and holiday entitlements.
Team Visibility
Everyone sees who's off when, preventing scheduling conflicts and ensuring adequate coverage.

Trusted by HR teams worldwide

160,478
Absences managed
5048
Employees using Leavetrack
4.8/5
Average customer rating

"With a team of over 50 employees, keeping track of absences and holidays using a paper based system used to be time consuming and prone to errors. Since introducing Leavetrack, the whole process has become a lot simpler and easier."

Cynthia Fisher
Commercial Director, Intatec Limited

How It Works

Simple, powerful leave management in four steps

1

Employees Request Leave

Simple, intuitive interface lets employees request time off in seconds. Public holidays are automatically excluded from calculations.

  • Book leave in under 30 seconds
  • See available leave balance instantly
  • Mobile-friendly for on-the-go requests
2

Managers Approve Instantly

Managers see all request details including conflicts with public holidays and other team members' leave.

  • Approve/reject directly from email
  • See team coverage at a glance
  • Complete audit trail of decisions
3

Plan Team Coverage

Beautiful visual calendar shows exactly who's off when, including public holidays, so you can plan optimal team coverage.

  • Color-coded wall chart
  • Filter by department or team
  • Spot conflicts before they happen
4

Generate Reports

Comprehensive reporting gives you insights into leave patterns, costs, and compliance - all exportable to Excel.

  • Full audit trail of all leave
  • Export to CSV for further analysis
  • Track entitlements and accruals

Don't Forget Your Free Planning Templates!

Get our ready-to-use staff planning templates to organize your team around South Korea's 2026 public holidays

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About Public Holidays in South Korea

Public holidays in South Korea play a significant role in the cultural and social fabric of the nation. The country observes a variety of public holidays, including traditional celebrations such as Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Harvest Festival), as well as national holidays like Independence Day and Constitution Day. These holidays not only provide employees with time off to relax and spend with family but also contribute to the overall staff leave planning and absence management strategies within businesses. Understanding the public holiday calendar is essential for effective workforce management, ensuring that companies can maintain productivity while respecting the cultural significance of these days. For more information on public holidays in South Korea, you can visit the official government website at korea.kr.