Cabinet designates Oct. 2 as one-off holiday

The Cabinet approved a proposal Tuesday to designate Oct. 2 as a one-off holiday to bridge the weekend and long Chuseok holiday so as to make it possible for workers to take 10 consecutive days off.

The designation would link the Sept. 30 weekend to the three-day Chuseok holiday, and then to the Oct. 6 alternative holiday for National Foundation Day and up to the Oct. 9 holiday commemorating the invention of the Korean writing system Hangeul.

Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, head of a presidential advisory panel, said in July that the government was considering designating Oct. 2 a temporary holiday to give workers a long break. On Wednesday, the chief of the ruling Democratic Party, Rep. Choo Mi-ae, also asked the government to make the designation.

President Moon Jae-in has stressed the importance of rest, and urged people to use up all of their vacation days in a hard-working nation known for long working hours and short vacations. Moon himself has already taken some days off to set an example, unlike his predecessor who usually took summer vacations only.
YONHAP