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Red Days, Full Trains.
Korea public holidays for late 2026 and all of 2027 with substitute days, what closes on Seollal and Chuseok, how holiday KTX tickets sell, and Christmas.
Updated 3 Nov 2026.
Quick answer
Koreans call a public holiday a "red day," because that is how it looks on the calendar. For a visitor, a red day can be a gift or a trap. The palace is free, the city is calm, and then the barbecue place you saved on your map has its shutter down and every train south is sold out.
This guide gives you the full official list, then the part most lists skip: what is actually open, what is not, and how to move around while the whole country heads home at the same time.
Just one: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026.3 Hangeul Day on 9 October was the last autumn holiday, so November and most of December are ordinary working weeks.
Q. Is Christmas Eve a holiday in Korea? No. 24 December is a normal working day; only the 25th is on the official list.4 Offices, banks and shops run as usual on the 24th.
Q. Is 3 December a new holiday? Not as a day off. In October 2026 the Interior Ministry proposed naming 3 December "National Sovereignty Day" as a commemorative day, with public comments open until 17 November 2026.5 A commemorative day is not a red day. Treat 3 December 2026 as a normal day unless the official calendar changes. Last checked 30 October 2026.
Weather, lights and events for those two months are in our late-year Seoul guide.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration published the official 2027 calendar on 29 June 2026.1 Here it is, with every substitute day.
| Holiday | 2027 date | Day | Substitute day |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January | Fri | None needed |
| Seollal, the Lunar New Year | 6, 7 and 8 February | Sat to Mon | Tue 9 February |
| Independence Movement Day | 1 March | Mon | None needed |
| Labor Day | 1 May | Sat | Mon 3 May |
| Children's Day | 5 May | Wed | None needed |
| Buddha's Birthday | 13 May | Thu | None needed |
| Memorial Day | 6 June | Sun | None (not covered by the rule) |
| Constitution Day | 17 July | Sat | Mon 19 July |
| Liberation Day | 15 August | Sun | Mon 16 August |
| Chuseok | 14, 15 and 16 September | Tue, Wed, Thu | None needed |
| National Foundation Day | 3 October | Sun | Mon 4 October |
| Hangeul Day | 9 October | Sat | Mon 11 October |
| Christmas Day | 25 December | Sat | Mon 27 December |
From the 2027 official almanac (KASA) and the KASI calendar table, checked 30 October 2026.1, 2
That makes ten breaks of three days or more for anyone on a Monday to Friday week.1 Six of them exist only because of substitute days.
Q. Why do older 2027 lists show fewer holidays? Labor Day and Constitution Day became official public holidays in April 2026.1, 4 Lists written before then miss 1 May and 17 July, and their Monday substitutes. Check the date on any calendar you copy.
Q. Is the Lunar New Year date fixed? No. Seollal and Chuseok follow the lunar calendar, so they move every year. In 2026 Seollal fell on 16 to 18 February and Chuseok on 24 to 26 September.3
If certain holidays land on a weekend, the next working day becomes a day off.4 That is why 2027 has so many Mondays off.
The rule has three twists worth knowing4:
Q. Can the government add a holiday at short notice? Yes. The rules let the government name a temporary public holiday after a Cabinet review.4 None had been named for late 2026 or 2027 as of 30 October 2026. If one is added, past ones have often landed on a "bridge" day between a holiday and a weekend, so watch Monday 13 and Friday 17 September 2027 around Chuseok. (Peep observation)
Less than you fear, more than you expect. Big sights and chain businesses mostly stay open; family-run places and some shops close, especially on the day itself. Here is the pattern from Chuseok 2026, the most recent one.
| Place | What happened at Chuseok 2026 |
|---|---|
| Royal palaces, Jongmyo, royal tombs | Open all four days and free; Jongmyo dropped its booking rule. Changdeokgung's Secret Garden kept its paid tour.8, 12 |
| National Museum of Korea | Closed on Chuseok Day only (25 September); open the other days with concerts.10, 12 |
| Department stores | Most branches closed for two days: the eve and the day, or the day and the day after.11 |
| Big supermarkets | Normal hours except on Chuseok Day, when some branches closed and others opened late.11 |
| Outlets and malls | Some closed on Chuseok Day; some opened late.11 |
| Banks | Branches close on public holidays (Peep observation); exchange booths at the airports stayed open.15 |
| Convenience stores | Open as usual. (Peep observation) |
Chuseok 2026 ran 24 to 27 September including the Sunday. Seollal follows the same pattern, but check each place again for 2027.
Q. Are restaurants open on Chuseok and Seollal? Many small, family-run ones are not, especially on the eve and the day itself. Chains, fast food, hotel restaurants and spots in busy tourist areas usually stay open. (Peep observation) Call or check the map app's hours that week, and do not plan your one big dinner for the holiday itself.
Q. Are markets open? It depends on the market and the stall. Gwangjang Market's general shops close on Sundays, while its food alley is listed as open every day of the year.16 On the holiday itself, expect gaps between stalls; individual owners decide. (Peep observation)
Q. Does Seoul go quiet over the lunar holidays? Office districts get quiet. Palaces, malls and family spots get busier, because free entry and time off bring everyone out. (Peep observation)
Palaces, yes, and recently for free. The Korea Heritage Service opened the four main palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs for free on both 2026 holidays.8, 9
Three details catch visitors out:
For Gyeongbokgung's normal hours and its Tuesday closing, see our Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon guide.
Q. Which holiday day is quietest at the palaces? In our experience, the morning of the day itself, when families are home for the ancestral rites, and before the afternoon crowd. (Peep observation)
Fast, online, and only on the official sale days. Korail sells holiday trains in a special window, through the Korail app and the holiday page on korail.com, and only for registered members.6, 7
How the last two sales ran:
| Seollal 2026 | Chuseok 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 7 January | 14 August |
| Priority sale (seniors, disabled, others) | 15 to 16 January | 3 to 4 September |
| Sale for everyone | 19 to 21 January, 07:00 to 13:00 | 7 to 11 September, 07:00 to 13:00 |
| Pay by | 25 January | 15 September |
| Trains covered | 13 to 18 February | 23 to 27 September |
From Korail press releases. Each line had its own sale day; the Seoul to Busan line went on sale last.6, 7
What that means for you:
Q. Can foreign visitors book holiday trains? The holiday sale is for Korail members.6, 7 If you cannot join in time, look for leftover seats after the sale, standing tickets, or the bus. (Peep advice) If your trip touches Seollal or Chuseok and you need a fixed train, it is safer to move that day out of the holiday window.
For normal KTX bookings, fares and the Busan run, see our Seoul to Busan by KTX guide.
Very bad on the road and at the airport, calm in much of the city. Incheon Airport handled 1,099,025 passengers from 23 to 27 September 2026, the Chuseok break, an average of about 220,000 a day and its busiest Chuseok since opening in 2001.17
Q. When should I avoid flying in? If you can, avoid landing on the final day of Seollal or Chuseok, and avoid leaving on the first. (Peep advice, based on ref. 17)
For how holidays fit with weather and peak months, see our Korea seasons guide.
Yes, with a little planning. Bank branches close on public holidays (Peep observation), but exchange booths at the airports stay open; at Chuseok 2026 one bank ran 11 booths at Incheon, three of them 24 hours.15 ATMs at convenience stores keep working. (Peep observation) For cards, cash and exchange tips, see money in Korea.
Need a pharmacy on a red day? Use the holiday pharmacy finder in our Korean pharmacy guide.
Q. Do taxis and the subway run on holidays? Yes. The subway runs a holiday timetable, and Seoul extended late trains near stations on Chuseok 2026's return days.14 Taxis run as usual, and some drivers take the day off, so waits can be longer. (Peep observation) How to ride both is in our Seoul subway, bus and taxi guide.
Christmas Day is a public holiday4, and in Seoul it feels more like a date night than a family day. Couples fill restaurants on the 24th and 25th; families gather properly at Seollal and Chuseok instead. (Peep observation)
What to expect:
Lights, markets and the countdown are covered in our winter season guide for Seoul.
Q. Do Koreans celebrate Christmas at home? Big in the streets, small at home. You will see lights, trees and church services, but the real family holidays are the lunar ones. (Peep observation)
Seollal 2027 runs from Saturday 6 to Monday 8 February, with Tuesday 9 February added as a substitute holiday because one of the three days falls on a Sunday.1, 2, 4 Seollal Day itself is Sunday 7 February. National museums close that day, and many family-run restaurants take a break. (ref. 10; Peep observation)
You can try, but popular holiday trains are usually gone well before the day. (Peep observation) The holiday sale runs online for Korail members only.6, 7 Realistic fallbacks are leftover seats after the sale, standing tickets, a later train or the bus, or moving that travel day out of the holiday window. (Peep advice)
Only some trips. For Chuseok 2026 the government offered 30 to 50% off KTX and SRT tickets for reverse-direction trips, against the main flow of holiday traffic.13 The offer is set per holiday, so check what it covers each time before you count on it. (Peep advice)
It can be, if you avoid intercity travel on the holiday days. Palaces and royal tombs were open and free on both 2026 holidays, and office districts in Seoul go quiet. (ref. 8, 9; Peep observation) Plan meals ahead, because many small restaurants close, and keep long train trips for before or after the break.
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