The Short Answer
- Seoul during Seollal and Chuseok is surprisingly quiet. A huge chunk of the population heads to their hometowns or abroad. Free palace entry + empty roads = the single best window for photos.
- The real crowds hit on "ordinary" public holidays. Three-day weekends like Gwangbokjeol, Gaecheonjeol, Hangeul Day, and Christmas are when Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Seongsu get absolutely slammed.
- Five more long weekends remain in 2026. Ten in 2027. In 2027 the longest stretch is Chuseok — 9 days (9/11–9/19) with just two vacation days.
When you’re planning a trip to Korea, you need to check public holidays twice. Once to ask “Is it a day off for me?” and again to ask “How does Korea actually move on that day?” A red day on the calendar is not just a red day — Seollal and Gaecheonjeol turn Seoul into two completely different cities.
This guide is based on the official Monthly Calendar (월력요항) published in the government gazette by the Korea AeroSpace Administration, plus the Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices. It covers every public holiday in 2026 and 2027, with a real-world impact rating for travelers.
Full 2026 Public Holiday Calendar
Korea has 70 actual government-office holidays in 2026. A regulation amendment in April 2026 added Labor Day (May 1) and Constitution Day (July 17) to the official list. Constitution Day makes its return after being dropped from the holiday roster back in 2008 — an 18-year hiatus.
🗓️ Complete 2026 Public Holidays (★ = substitute holiday)
| Date | Day | Holiday | Break Length | Travel Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Thu | New Year’s Day | 1 day | 🟡 Moderate |
| Feb 16–18 | Mon–Wed | Seollal (Lunar New Year, 2/17) | Up to 6 days (2/13–2/18) | 🔴 Many shops closed |
| Mar 1 | Sun | March 1st Movement Day | 3 days (2/28–3/2) | 🟡 Moderate |
| Mar 2 ★ | Mon | March 1st Movement Day (substitute) | — | — |
| May 1 | Fri | Labor Day (NEW) | 3 days (5/1–5/3) | 🟡 Moderate |
| May 5 | Tue | Children’s Day | 1 day | 🔴 Theme parks packed |
| May 24 | Sun | Buddha’s Birthday | 3 days (5/23–5/25) | 🟢 Lotus Lantern Festival season |
| May 25 ★ | Mon | Buddha’s Birthday (substitute) | — | — |
| Jun 6 | Sat | Memorial Day | 2 days | 🟢 Quiet |
| Jul 17 | Fri | Constitution Day (returns after 18 years) | 3 days (7/17–7/19) | 🟡 Moderate |
| Aug 15 | Sat | Liberation Day | 3 days (8/15–8/17) | 🔴 Downtown packed |
| Aug 17 ★ | Mon | Liberation Day (substitute) | — | — |
| Sep 24–26 | Thu–Sat | Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving, 9/25) | 4 days (9/24–9/27) | 🔴 Many shops closed |
| Oct 3 | Sat | National Foundation Day | 3 days (10/3–10/5) | 🔴 Downtown packed |
| Oct 5 ★ | Mon | National Foundation Day (substitute) | — | — |
| Oct 9 | Fri | Hangeul Day | 3 days (10/9–10/11) | 🔴 Downtown packed |
| Dec 25 | Fri | Christmas | 3 days (12/25–12/27) | 🔴 Downtown extremely packed |
Why Chuseok 2026 doesn't get a substitute holiday
September 26, the last day of the Chuseok break, is a Saturday. But Monday the 28th is a regular workday. Here's why: under the current rules, Seollal and Chuseok only get a substitute holiday when they overlap with a Sunday or another public holiday. Other holidays like Children's Day, March 1st Movement Day, and Liberation Day get a substitute whenever they fall on a Saturday or Sunday. Seollal and Chuseok play by a different, stricter rulebook. Memorial Day and New Year's Day don't qualify for substitute holidays at all.
Full 2027 Public Holiday Calendar
2027 serves up 72 actual public holidays — two more than 2026. But here’s the catch: more holidays land on weekends, which triggers a whopping 7 substitute holidays — the most in recent years. Labor Day, Constitution Day, Hangeul Day, and Christmas all fall on Saturdays, setting off a domino chain of Monday substitute days.
🗓️ Complete 2027 Public Holidays (★ = substitute holiday)
| Date | Day | Holiday | Break Length | Travel Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Fri | New Year’s Day | 3 days (1/1–1/3) | 🟡 Moderate |
| Feb 6–8 | Sat–Mon | Seollal (Lunar New Year, 2/7) | 4 days (2/6–2/9) | 🔴 Many shops closed |
| Feb 9 ★ | Tue | Seollal (substitute) | — | — |
| Mar 1 | Mon | March 1st Movement Day | 3 days (2/27–3/1) | 🟡 Moderate |
| May 1 | Sat | Labor Day | 3 days (5/1–5/3) | 🔴 Downtown packed |
| May 3 ★ | Mon | Labor Day (substitute) | — | — |
| May 5 | Wed | Children’s Day | 1 day | 🔴 Theme parks packed |
| May 13 | Thu | Buddha’s Birthday | 1 day | 🟢 Lotus Lantern Festival season |
| Jun 6 | Sun | Memorial Day (no substitute) | 2 days | 🟢 Quiet |
| Jul 17 | Sat | Constitution Day | 3 days (7/17–7/19) | 🔴 Downtown packed |
| Jul 19 ★ | Mon | Constitution Day (substitute) | — | — |
| Aug 15 | Sun | Liberation Day | 3 days (8/14–8/16) | 🔴 Downtown packed |
| Aug 16 ★ | Mon | Liberation Day (substitute) | — | — |
| Sep 14–16 | Tue–Thu | Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving, 9/15) | 3 days (9 with 2 vacation days) | 🔴 Many shops closed |
| Oct 3 | Sun | National Foundation Day | 3 days (10/2–10/4) | 🔴 Downtown packed |
| Oct 4 ★ | Mon | National Foundation Day (substitute) | — | — |
| Oct 9 | Sat | Hangeul Day | 3 days (10/9–10/11) | 🔴 Downtown packed |
| Oct 11 ★ | Mon | Hangeul Day (substitute) | — | — |
| Dec 25 | Sat | Christmas | 3 days (12/25–12/27) | 🔴 Downtown extremely packed |
| Dec 27 ★ | Mon | Christmas (substitute) | — | — |
Seollal & Chuseok empty Seoul out. "Ordinary" public holidays pack it in.
This is the number one thing travelers get wrong. It’s not “major holiday = crowded.” It’s “major holiday = people leave Seoul.”
During Seollal and Chuseok, a significant share of Seoul’s population heads to their hometowns or flies abroad. Over the six-day 2026 Seollal window (February 13–18), Incheon Airport handled an estimated 1.36 million passengers including transit — roughly 227,000 per day. The result: Seoul’s roads clear out, and the proportion of Korean visitors at major tourist spots drops sharply. In recent years, a “reverse exodus” effect has become increasingly visible — foreign tourists flood into the vacuum, turning spots like Gyeongbokgung, Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Seongsu into international crowd hubs.
On the flip side, holidays like Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, and Christmas — those three-day weekends tacked onto Saturday-Sunday — keep Koreans in Seoul and off work. These are when Myeongdong, Hongdae, Seongsu, and Jamsil hit genuine peak density.
⚖️ Holiday Type vs. Actual Travel Experience
| Factor | Seollal & Chuseok (Major Holidays) | Liberation Day, Foundation Day, Christmas (Regular Holidays) |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Crowds | Low (roads clear) | Extremely high |
| Independent Restaurants & Traditional Markets | Many closed | Open as usual |
| Department Stores | 1–2 days closed (varies by branch) | Open (often extended hours) |
| Palaces & Museums | Free entry, special events | Regular paid entry |
| Domestic Flights & KTX | Sold out (book months ahead) | Crowded |
| Seoul Hotel Rates | Surprisingly stable | Spike upward |
| Verdict | 🟢 Go for it — with prep | 🟡 Avoid downtown hot spots |
What's Open & What's Closed During Seollal and Chuseok
The heaviest impact falls on the actual holiday date plus one day on either side. You don’t need to worry about the entire break — just the holiday day itself ±1 day covers most of the closures.
Almost Guaranteed to Be Open
- Convenience stores (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven) — 24 hours, no change
- Most franchise cafés (Starbucks, Twosome Place, etc.)
- Major Olive Young and Daiso locations (possibly shorter hours)
- Department store food halls & large shopping malls (except designated closure days)
- Royal palaces & national museums — often with free admission and special holiday programming
- Subway & buses — running on holiday timetables
- Airport Railroad & Incheon Airport — 24-hour normal operations
⚠️ Likely to Be Closed
- Neighborhood independent restaurants and old-school eateries — many shut down for 2–3 days around the holiday
- Individual stalls in traditional markets like Gwangjang Market and Tongin Market (the market itself stays open but lots of empty spots)
- Department stores — 1–2 days of closure per branch. Same brand, different branch, different closure dates.
- Hospitals & regular pharmacies — only emergency rooms and designated on-duty pharmacies operate
- Banks & currency exchange booths — fully closed. Airport exchange counters and ATMs remain open
- Government service counters, post offices
How to Check Holiday Closures in Advance
The most reliable method: search for the place on Naver Map and look for "holiday closure" info in the operating hours section. If there's nothing listed, check the shop's Instagram — small Korean businesses often announce holiday closures exclusively through Instagram Stories. For department store closure dates, each chain's app and website has a "branch closure calendar" you can check location by location.
Holiday Transport — What to Book and When
🚄 Booking Difficulty & Recommended Timeline
| Transport | Major Holidays (Seollal/Chuseok) | Regular 3-Day Weekend | Best Time to Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| KTX & SRT (Seoul ↔ regions) | Sold out | Weekend-level crowded | Major holidays: the day booking opens. Otherwise: 2–3 weeks out |
| Express Buses | Sold out + severe gridlock | Normal | Major holidays: 1 month ahead |
| Domestic Flights (Jeju, etc.) | Sold out + fares skyrocket | Elevated fares | Major holidays: 2–3 months ahead |
| Seoul Subway | Room to breathe (reduced frequency) | Very crowded | No booking needed |
| City Buses | Reduced frequency (longer intervals) | Normal | No booking needed |
| Taxis | Hard to flag down on the day | Long waits late night | Install the app beforehand |
Realistic Strategies for Travelers
- Don't leave Seoul during major holidays. Stay put and you'll actually get the most pleasant version of the city.
- During Seollal/Chuseok, city buses sometimes run about 10% less frequently than a normal public holiday. For post-midnight moves, map out the Night Bus routes (N-buses, 23:00–06:00) in advance.
- On ordinary three-day weekends, Monday morning is the sweet spot. Domestic travelers are heading home, giving you a brief window of breathing room downtown.
- Avoid airport trips on the first morning and last afternoon of any holiday period. For 2026 Seollal, the outbound peak was right before the first weekend of the break; the return peak hit on the final day.
The Best Times to Visit — Holiday-Based Recommendations
The Hidden Variable: Neighboring Countries' Holidays
- China's Golden Week (October 1–7 every year) — overlaps with Korea's National Foundation Day and Hangeul Day breaks. Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Gyeongbokgung hit peak annual crowd levels.
- Japan's Golden Week (late April–early May) — lines up precisely with Korea's Labor Day and Children's Day breaks. This is why flights to Seoul in early May are the most expensive of the year.
- Japan's Silver Week & Obon (mid-August) — overlaps with Liberation Day.
If you only look at Korean holidays when planning, these three windows will blindside you. For a quiet Seoul, mid-April, June, and November are the safest bets all year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Are duty-free shops and currency exchanges open on public holidays? Downtown duty-free shops generally stay open during holidays, but those located inside department stores follow the department store’s closure schedule. Many private currency exchange booths (in Myeongdong and Dongdaemun) close for the holiday itself. If you’re traveling during Seollal or Chuseok, it’s smarter to grab some cash at the airport beforehand or rely on your international card.
Q. Do substitute holidays work the same as regular public holidays? Government offices, schools, and large corporations treat them identically. But many small businesses and independently-owned shops stay open on substitute holidays. From a traveler’s perspective, substitute holidays are actually more convenient — shops are open while government offices stay closed.
Q. Why do Seollal and Chuseok dates change every year? They follow the lunar calendar. Seollal falls on the first day of the first lunar month, and Chuseok on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. The exact Gregorian dates are officially confirmed each year around June when the Korea AeroSpace Administration publishes the Monthly Calendar (월력요항) in the government gazette. That’s why any dates more than two years out are unofficial estimates.
Sources
- Korea AeroSpace Administration, 「2027 Monthly Calendar」 (published in the Gazette, June 29, 2026) — Republic of Korea Electronic Gazette
- 「Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices」 Article 3 (Substitute Holidays) — Korea Legislation Information Center
- Ministry of Personnel Management, partial amendment to the Regulations on Public Holidays passed by the State Council (April 28, 2026) — Labor Day & Constitution Day designation
- Aju Business Daily, 「2027 Actual Public Holidays: 72 Days, Two More Than This Year」 (2026-06-29)
- Aju Business Daily, 「Remaining 2026 Holidays: Chuseok 4 Days, Four 3-Day Weekends Including Liberation Day」 (2026-07-22)
- KB Think, 「2027 Monthly Calendar」 (2026-07-02)
- Seoul Metropolitan Government, Holiday Special Transportation Plan
- Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Astronomical Knowledge Information — lunar calendar & seasonal divisions
All dates confirmed against the official gazette as of August 8, 2026. Dates beyond 2028 are not included as the Monthly Calendar has not yet been published.