Public holidays in South Korea each belong to one or more of three categories:
Each category has a different legal basis. All National Celebration Days are also Flag Raising Days.
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| Name | Date | Remarks | National Celebration Day | Flag Raising | Day Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day 신정(新正)1 |
January 1 | The day celebrates the new year. | No | Yes | |
| Korean New Year's Day 설날 |
1st day of 1st lunar month | Also called "Seol(설)" or "Gujeong(구정, 舊正)". The first day of the lunar Korean calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays, and is considered a more important holiday than the solar New Year's Day. | No | No | Yes (3days) |
| Independence (Declaration) Day 3.1절(三一節) |
March 1 | This day commemorates the March 1st Movement in 1919. On March 1 of this year, the Korean people declared their nation's independence from Imperial Japan. It was a catalyst for the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea(April 13, 1919). | Yes | Yes | |
| Children's Day 어린이날 |
May 5 | The day on which to esteem the personalities of children and plan for their happiness. In Korea, Children's Day started on May 1, 1922, when 8 persons including Bang Jeong-hwan declared the Day and held an anniversary. In 1946, the Day changed to May 5, and became a public holiday in 1975. | No | No | Yes |
| Buddha's Birthday 석가탄신일(釋迦誕辰日) |
8th day of 4th lunar month | Also called "Bucheonnim Osinnal (부처님 오신 날)" or "Sawol Chopail (사월 초파일,四月初八日). The birthday of the Gautama Buddha. In South Korea, Buddhism is the one of two major religions, along with Christianity. | No | No | Yes |
| Memorial Day 현충일(顯忠日) |
June 6 | The day commemorates the men and women who died while in military service or in the independence movement. On this day, a national commemoration ceremony is held in Seoul National Cemetery. | No | (half staff) |
Yes |
| Constitution Day 제헌절(制憲節) |
July 17 | The day celebrates the promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea in 1948. | Yes | No | |
| Liberation Day 광복절(光復節) |
August 15 | The day celebrates the national liberation from Imperial Japan in 1945. On the same day in 1948, the government of the Republic of Korea was established. The word "Gwangbok" means "restoration of light". | Yes | Yes | |
| Midautumn Festival 추석(秋夕) |
15th day of 8th lunar month | Also called "Han-gawi (한가위)". Korean traditional Harvest Festival. With Seollal, it is one of the most important Korean traditional holidays. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food. | No | No | Yes (3days) |
| Armed Forces Day 국군(國軍)의 날 |
October 1 | The day recognizes, venerates, and honors the military forces of the Republic of Korea. In 1950, during the Korean War, South Korean Forces broke through the 38th parallel on October 1. | No | No | |
| National Foundation Day 개천절(開天節) |
October 3 | The day celebrates the foundation of Gojoseon, the first state of the Korean nation. According to the Samguk Yusa, Dangun founded Gojoseon on the 3rd day of 10th lunar month, 2333 BC. Today, South Koreans celebrate their national foundation on October 3 according to the solar calendar, for convenience sake. "Gaecheonjeol" means "Heaven-opened Day". | Yes | Yes | |
| Hangul Day 한글날 |
October 9 | The day commemorates the invention (1443) and the proclamation (1446) of hangul, the native alphabet of the Korean language. Koreans are proud that Hangul is a very scientific and creative artificial alphabet, and that it is one of the most recent official writing systems ever created. King Sejong the Great, inventor of hangul, is the most honored ruler in Korean history. | Yes | No | |
| Christmas Day 기독탄신일(基督誕辰日) |
December 25 | Christmas is commonly called "Seongtanjeol (성탄절,聖誕節)" in Korean(especially among Christians), but the official Korean name fixed by law is "Gidoktansinil"2. In South Korea, Korean Christianity is the one of two major religions, along with Buddhism. | No | No | Yes |
| footnotes | 1 This is not a legal name. The legal name is simply "January 1" 2 The Sino-Korean word "jeol (절,節)' means 'the great holiday', and is only used for National Celebration Days in South Korean law. The word "il (일,日)" is for the names of general commemoration days. |
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These days celebrate events considered joyous to Korea. In the beginning, Independence Declaration Day(March 1) was first stipulated by the Law of U.S. Military Government in Korea No.2(군정법률 제2호 "경축일공포의관한건")[1] in 1946. After the establishment of the Government of the Republic of Korea in 1948, four major National Celebration Days(Independence Declaration Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day) were provided by "The Law Concerning the National Celebration Days"(국경일에관한법률)[2] in 1949. In 2005, Hangul Day became the 5th National Celebration day.
All the National Celebration Days, January 1, Memorial Day(half staff), Armed Forces Day are provided by Article 8 of the "National Flag Law"(대한민국국기법 제8조)).[3] On these days, the raising of the taegukgi at every house and along every roadside is promoted.
They are provided by the "Ordinance Concerning the Holidays of Government and Public Offices" (관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정).[4] This ordinance originally applied only to government and public offices, but most individual business offices also follow it.
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