South Korea Long Weekends 2027
South Korea gets ten long weekends in 2027, and almost all of them exist because of one rule: the substitute holiday (대체공휴일). Seven holidays land on a Saturday or Sunday next year — Labour Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, Christmas and the second day of Seollal — and each one that qualifies pushes a day off onto the next working day. The result is a four-day Seollal (Feb 6–9), a long Chuseok window (Sep 11–16) and eight three-day weekends spread through the year, starting with New Year’s Day on Friday January 1.
South Korea long weekends in 2027
New Year's Day
3 daysJan 1 – 3
Seollal (Lunar New Year)
4 daysFeb 6 – 9
Sat–Tue: the three Seollal days plus the Feb 9 substitute holiday.
Independence Movement Day
3 daysFeb 27 – Mar 1
Sat–Mon: the weekend plus Independence Movement Day on Monday.
Labour Day
3 daysMay 1 – 3
Sat–Mon: Labour Day plus the May 3 substitute holiday.
Constitution Day
3 daysJul 17 – 19
Sat–Mon: Constitution Day plus the Jul 19 substitute holiday.
Liberation Day & Substitute Holiday (Liberation Day)
3 daysAug 14 – 16
Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving)
6 daysSep 11 – 16
Not continuous: Monday Sep 13 is a normal working day between the weekend and the three Chuseok days (Sep 14–16). Take Sep 13 off and the whole Sep 11–16 stretch joins up into six days.
National Foundation Day
3 daysOct 2 – 4
Sat–Mon: the weekend plus the Oct 4 substitute holiday.
Hangeul Day
3 daysOct 9 – 11
Sat–Mon: Hangeul Day plus the Oct 11 substitute holiday.
Christmas
3 daysDec 25 – 27
Sat–Mon: Christmas plus the Dec 27 substitute holiday.
How the substitute holiday rule works — and where it stops
Korea’s substitute holiday system was introduced for Seollal and Chuseok in 2014, extended to Children’s Day, and broadened again from 2023 to cover Christmas and Buddha’s Birthday. When a covered holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the next non-holiday weekday becomes a public holiday. In 2027 that produces seven substitute days: February 9, May 3, July 19, August 16, October 4, October 11 and December 27 — an unusually high number, which is exactly why the year looks so generous.
The rule is not universal, and the gap shows in 2027. Memorial Day falls on Sunday June 6 but gets no substitute, because it is not on the list of covered holidays — so that day off simply disappears. Two other days worth knowing: Labour Day (May 1) is not a public holiday under the Holiday Act but a paid leave day under the Labour Standards Act, so civil servants and many school staff work it, and Constitution Day returned to the public-holiday list from 2026 after nearly two decades off it.
Chuseok 2027: a six-day window with a working Monday in the middle
Chuseok 2027 falls on Wednesday September 15, so the three holiday days run Tuesday September 14 to Thursday September 16. The preceding weekend is September 11–12, which puts the whole Chuseok window at September 11–16. Read the calendar carefully, though: Monday September 13 sits in the middle and is an ordinary working day. Take that single day off and the six-day run becomes genuinely continuous — one of the highest-value leave days of the Korean year.
Seollal is cleaner. Lunar New Year’s Day is Saturday February 6, with the three Seollal days covering February 5–7; because the second day falls on a Sunday, a substitute holiday lands on Tuesday February 9, giving an unbroken Saturday-to-Tuesday block. Both festivals are mass homecoming periods — KTX tickets sell out the moment reservations open, expressways gridlock, and traditional markets and family-run restaurants close even while department stores and major attractions stay open.
Official sources & data
- Act on Public Holidays — substitute-holiday provisionsVisit sourceKorea Ministry of Government Legislation
Frequently asked questions
How many long weekends does South Korea have in 2027?+
Ten: New Year (Jan 1–3), Seollal (Feb 6–9), Independence Movement Day (Feb 27 – Mar 1), Labour Day (May 1–3), Constitution Day (Jul 17–19), Liberation Day (Aug 14–16), the Chuseok window (Sep 11–16), National Foundation Day (Oct 2–4), Hangeul Day (Oct 9–11) and Christmas (Dec 25–27).
What is a substitute holiday (대체공휴일) in Korea?+
When a covered public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the next non-holiday weekday becomes a public holiday instead, so the day off is not lost. The rule started with Seollal and Chuseok in 2014 and was extended to Christmas and Buddha’s Birthday from 2023. Memorial Day is not covered.
When is Chuseok 2027 and how long is the break?+
Chuseok day is Wednesday September 15, 2027, with the three holiday days running September 14–16. Adding the preceding weekend gives a September 11–16 window, but Monday September 13 in the middle is a normal working day — take it off and the six days become continuous.
Why does Memorial Day get no substitute holiday in 2027?+
Memorial Day falls on Sunday June 6, 2027, but it is not on the list of holidays covered by the substitute-holiday rule, so no replacement weekday is granted and the day off is lost. This is the clearest example of the rule’s limits — coverage is by holiday, not automatic.
Is Labour Day a public holiday in South Korea?+
Not under the Holiday Act. May 1 is a paid leave day under the Labour Standards Act, so most company employees are off but civil servants, and many school and public-institution staff, work as normal. In 2027 May 1 is a Saturday, which produces a substitute day on Monday May 3 for those entitled to it.
How can I stretch the 2027 Korean long weekends?+
One leave day on Monday September 13 makes Chuseok a genuine six-day run (Sep 11–16); add Friday September 17 and it becomes eight days to September 19. In October, taking October 5–8 off links National Foundation Day and Hangeul Day into ten days (Oct 2–11) for four days of leave.