South Korea Holidays 2026: Seollal and Chuseok Travel

South Korea public holidays are especially important for travel planning because the biggest holidays are family-movement periods, not just office closures. In 2026, the two windows to understand first are Seollal and Chuseok.

Our South Korea 2026 holiday calendar shows the full year so you can compare those major periods with smaller long weekends.

South Korea 2026 dates to watch

| Period | Dates in the calendar | Planning note | | ------------------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | New Year's Day | Jan 1 | Thursday holiday; leave can extend it. | | Seollal | Feb 16 to Feb 18 | Major family travel period. | | March holiday | Mar 2 | Monday observed holiday in the dataset. | | May holiday cluster | May 1, May 5, May 25 | Multiple May holidays can affect work and travel. | | Local Election Day | Jun 3 | Midweek public holiday in the dataset. | | Chuseok | Sep 24 to Sep 26 | Major family travel period. | | October holidays | Oct 5 and Oct 9 | Useful October travel windows. | | Christmas | Dec 25 | Friday holiday. |

Seollal and Chuseok are the big ones

Seollal and Chuseok can affect train tickets, highway traffic, domestic flights, accommodation, restaurants, and business response times. If your trip touches Feb 16 to Feb 18 or Sep 24 to Sep 26, plan earlier than you would for a normal week.

For business planning, avoid urgent launches, approvals, or customer deadlines around those periods unless Korea coverage is confirmed.

Long-weekend planning

Christmas falls on a Friday in 2026, while several Monday or Friday holidays appear across the year. These smaller breaks may be easier for short trips than Seollal or Chuseok because they carry less family-travel intensity.

If you are comparing East Asia calendars, check Japan Golden Week, China Mainland holidays, and China Taiwan holidays before setting shared schedules.

Data boundary

The South Korea calendar is based on the holiday dataset available to the tool. Local business hours, schools, and transport providers may follow additional rules, so confirm operational details before booking or scheduling.

What to Double-Check

| Check | Why it matters | | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Exact date | Some holidays depend on lunar calendars or official announcements. | | Observed day | A weekend holiday may move to a weekday in some places. | | Local scope | National, regional, public, statutory, and school holidays are not always the same. | | Booking window | Flights, hotels, and attractions can sell out before the holiday starts. |

FAQ

Should I treat this as legal advice?

No. Use the calendar for planning and comparison, then confirm employment, payroll, school, or government rules with the relevant official source before making final decisions.