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Five-day workers in Korea to have 118 days off in 2026, down one from this year

Published: 30 Jun. 2025, 12:28

The Busan Haeundae Beach is filled with visitors on June 29. [YONHAP]

The number of days off next year for employees working a five-day week in Korea will total 118, one day fewer than this year. The longest holiday will span five days during the Lunar New Year in February, which includes the weekend.

According to the Korea AeroSpace Administration’s (KASA) calendar guideline for 2026, which was released Monday, next year Korea has 52 Sundays and 20 additional public holidays, such as national commemorative days, Lunar New Year and substitute holidays, totaling 72 days off work for a regular employee. However, as the March 1 Independence Movement Day and Buddha’s Birthday fall on Sundays, the actual number of days off is effectively 70.

For institutions observing the five-day workweek, public holidays combined with Saturdays and Sundays would ordinarily add up to 122 days off. But with four holidays overlapping with Saturdays, the effective number of holidays is 118 — one day fewer than this year.

Workers on the five-day schedule will enjoy a total of eight holiday periods of three days or more. The Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 17, will combine with adjacent public holidays and the weekend to create a five-day break from Feb. 14 to 18. The Chuseok harvest holidays will span four days from Sept. 24 to 27.

There will be five instances of three-day weekends next year, as Buddha’s Birthday, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangul Day and Christmas overlap with weekends or substitute holidays.

Details of the calendar guideline can be found in the official government gazette or on the websites of KASA and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]