Chuseok 2026 Holidays in Korea: 28/9 Temporary Holiday, No Substitute Day, 10/2026 Holidays
At a glance
- Chuseok holiday
- 24/9/2026 (Thu)~27/9 (Sun), 4 days
- Chuseok day
- 25/9 (Fri)
- 28/9 (Mon)
- A regular weekday as of 15/9, no temporary public holiday designation announced
- Substitute holiday
- None (Seollal and Chuseok do not generate a substitute holiday even when they overlap a Saturday)
- If designated
- 5-day holiday 24~28/9, paid holiday at workplaces with 5 or more regular employees
- Designation procedure
- Cabinet meeting deliberation (Article 4 of the Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices)
- A late decision
- The 6/5/2016 temporary public holiday was resolved at a Cabinet meeting 8 days before
- October holidays
- National Foundation Day 3/10 (Sat) · substitute holiday 5/10 (Mon) · Hangeul Day 9/10 (Fri)
The 2026 Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday runs 4 days from Thursday 24/9 to Sunday 27/9/2026. As of 15/9, 28/9 (Monday) is a regular weekday not designated a temporary public holiday, with no designation in the Ministry of Personnel Management press release or in the agenda of the September Cabinet meetings either. The last day of the Chuseok holiday, 26/9, falls on a Saturday, but Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok do not generate a substitute holiday even when they overlap a Saturday. If 28/9 is designated a temporary public holiday, the holiday becomes 5 days long and is a paid holiday at workplaces with 5 or more regular employees. The public holidays after Chuseok are National Foundation Day on 3/10, the substitute holiday on 5/10, Hangeul Day on 9/10, and Christmas Day on 25/12.
Whether 28/9 is designated a temporary public holiday (as of 15/9/2026)
As of 15/9, 28/9 (Monday) is a regular weekday. The Ministry of Personnel Management press release contains no announcement of a temporary public holiday designation, and neither the general agenda of the 38th Cabinet meeting on 1/9 nor that of the 39th Cabinet meeting on 8/9 included a designation proposal. The results briefing of the 40th Cabinet meeting on 15/9 also made no mention of 28/9.
A temporary public holiday (임시공휴일) is, under Article 2(11) of the Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices (「관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정」), "any other day designated from time to time by the government". Designation requires deliberation by the Cabinet meeting (Article 4). The 2/10/2023 temporary public holiday was finalized after a Cabinet meeting resolution, followed by presidential approval and publication in the Official Gazette.
Maeil Shinmun (8/9), Money Today (13/9) and News1 (14/9) covered the possibility of 28/9 being designated, citing the short Chuseok holiday.
If 28/9 is designated a temporary public holiday, the Chuseok holiday becomes 5 days long, from Thursday 24/9 to Monday 28/9.
2026 Chuseok holiday dates — 4 days from Thursday 24/9 to Sunday 27/9
Based on the official almanac calendar (월력요항) for 2026 announced by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) on 30/6/2025, the Chuseok public holidays are 24/9 (Thursday), 25/9 (Friday, Chuseok day itself) and 26/9 (Saturday). The holiday continues through Sunday 27/9, making it 4 days long.
The official almanac calendar lists the 2026 public holidays that fall on a Saturday as Memorial Day (6/6), Liberation Day (15/8), the last day of the Chuseok holiday (26/9), and National Foundation Day (3/10).
| Date | Weekday | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 24/9 | Thu | Day before Chuseok (public holiday) |
| 25/9 | Fri | Chuseok (public holiday) |
| 26/9 | Sat | Day after Chuseok (public holiday) |
| 27/9 | Sun | Sunday |
| 28/9 | Mon | Weekday (as of 15/9, not designated a temporary public holiday) |
Why Chuseok 2026 has no substitute holiday — a Saturday overlap is not a qualifying condition
Article 3 of the Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices defines two cases in which the Seollal or Chuseok holiday generates a substitute holiday: when the holiday overlaps a Sunday, and when a day other than Saturday or Sunday overlaps another public holiday. The 2026 Chuseok public holidays of 24~26/9 do not overlap a Sunday, and the weekdays 24 and 25/9 do not overlap another public holiday. So even though 26/9 is a Saturday, there is no substitute holiday.
The holidays that do generate a substitute holiday when they overlap a Saturday are separately specified: the national holidays (Independence Movement Day on 1/3, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day), Buddha's Birthday, Labor Day, Children's Day, and Christmas Day. National Foundation Day 2026 (3/10) falls on a Saturday, so Monday 5/10 is a substitute holiday.
A substitute holiday is a day set when these conditions are met, while a temporary public holiday is a day the government designates separately through Cabinet meeting deliberation.
Temporary public holiday as a paid holiday — paid at workplaces with 5 or more employees, no obligation at 4 or fewer
Article 55(2) of the Labor Standards Act and Article 30(2) of its Enforcement Decree guarantee as paid holidays the public holidays under Article 2 of the Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices (excluding Sundays) and substitute holidays. This includes the temporary public holiday under Article 2(11). An online consultation reply from the Ministry of Employment and Labor also stated that "temporary public holidays are included among the public holidays of government offices" ("임시공휴일은 관공서 공휴일에 포함됩니다").
Workplaces with 5 or more regular employees — If 28/9 is designated a temporary public holiday, it is a paid holiday. Working that day brings an additional 50% of ordinary wage for up to 8 hours and an additional 100% for the portion beyond 8 hours. If a written agreement is reached with the workers' representative, the public holiday can be swapped with another working day.
Workplaces with 4 or fewer regular employees — Article 55(2) does not apply, so the law does not require the public holiday to be guaranteed as a paid holiday.
Workers with scheduled working hours under 15 hours a week — Article 55 itself does not apply.
The Ministry of Government Legislation interpreted that when a public holiday coincides with a day on which there is no obligation to work, such as a designated day off or an unpaid holiday, the employer does not have to guarantee that day as paid (legal interpretation No. 22-0145, 2/6/2022).
Past temporary public holidays and their decision timing — from 2015 to 2025
The decision timing of major temporary public holidays announced by the government since 2015 is as follows. Among these, the shortest lead time from decision to holiday was for 6/5/2016, resolved at a Cabinet meeting on 28/4, 8 days before. 27/1/2025 was resolved on 14/1, 13 days before. 2/10/2017 and 2/10/2023, both attached to Chuseok, each went through Cabinet meeting resolution 27 days before. 9/5/2017, the day of the 19th presidential election, was also a temporary public holiday.
| Temporary public holiday | Decision | Lead time | Reason stated by the government |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/8/2015 (Fri) | Plan confirmed at the Cabinet meeting on 4/8 | 10 days | Celebration of the 70th anniversary of liberation, boosting domestic demand |
| 6/5/2016 (Fri) | Cabinet meeting resolution on 28/4 | 8 days | Boosting domestic demand for Family Month and spring travel week |
| 2/10/2017 (Mon) | Cabinet meeting resolution on 5/9 | 27 days | Rest over the Chuseok holiday, boosting domestic demand |
| 17/8/2020 (Mon) | Cabinet meeting resolution on 21/7 | 27 days | Fatigue from the prolonged COVID-19, difficult economic conditions |
| 2/10/2023 (Mon) | Announced 31/8, Cabinet meeting resolution on 5/9 | 27 days (from the resolution) | Ensuring rest over the Chuseok holiday, boosting family-unit consumption |
| 1/10/2024 (Tue) | Cabinet meeting resolution on 3/9 | 28 days | Armed Forces Day event, raising security awareness |
| 27/1/2025 (Mon) | Cabinet meeting resolution on 14/1 | 13 days | Public rest over the Seollal holiday, domestic demand recovery |
| 3/6/2025 (Tue) | Cabinet meeting on 8/4 | 56 days | Participation in voting in the 21st presidential election |
October 2026 public holidays and the remaining holidays — National Foundation Day substitute holiday on 5/10
The public holidays remaining in 2026 after Chuseok are National Foundation Day (3/10, Sat) and its substitute holiday (5/10, Mon), Hangeul Day (9/10, Fri), and Christmas Day (25/12, Fri). There are no public holidays in November.
Armed Forces Day on 1/10 is, in the 2026 official almanac calendar, a commemorative day and not a public holiday. In 2024 it was a temporary public holiday.
Through an amendment to the regulations in 4/2026, Labor Day (1/5) and Constitution Day (17/7) became public holidays of government offices. Both fall before Chuseok.
| Date | Weekday | Public holiday | Holiday stretch on a 5-day workweek |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/10 | Sat | National Foundation Day | 3/10~5/10, 3 days |
| 5/10 | Mon | Substitute holiday (National Foundation Day) | 3/10~5/10, 3 days |
| 9/10 | Fri | Hangeul Day | 9/10~11/10, 3 days |
| 25/12 | Fri | Christmas Day | 25/12~27/12, 3 days |
FAQ
Is 28 September a temporary public holiday?
As of 15/9, no. The Ministry of Personnel Management press release contains no designation announcement, and neither the general agenda of the Cabinet meetings on 1/9 nor on 8/9 included a designation proposal. A temporary public holiday is designated through Cabinet meeting deliberation.
How many days is the Chuseok 2026 holiday in Korea?
4 days, from Thursday 24/9 to Sunday 27/9. The public holidays are 24/9, 25/9 (Chuseok day itself) and 26/9, and 27/9 is a Sunday.
Chuseok falls on a Saturday — is there no substitute holiday?
There is none. The Seollal and Chuseok holidays generate a substitute holiday only when they overlap a Sunday, or when a day other than Saturday or Sunday overlaps another public holiday. Chuseok 2026 meets neither case.
If a day becomes a temporary public holiday, do companies close too?
Workplaces with 5 or more regular employees must guarantee a temporary public holiday as a paid holiday, and working that day brings holiday-work premium pay. At workplaces with 4 or fewer regular employees, the law does not require the public holiday to be guaranteed as a paid holiday, and for workers with scheduled working hours under 15 hours a week the holiday provisions themselves do not apply.
When is a temporary public holiday usually decided?
By government announcements, 6/5/2016 was resolved 8 days before, 27/1/2025 13 days before, 2/10/2017 and 2/10/2023 27 days before, and 1/10/2024 28 days before, at Cabinet meetings.
When are the public holidays in October 2026 in Korea?
National Foundation Day on 3/10 (Sat), the National Foundation Day substitute holiday on 5/10 (Mon), and Hangeul Day on 9/10 (Fri). On a 5-day workweek, 3~5/10 and 9~11/10 are 3-day holiday stretches.
Is Armed Forces Day on 1 October a public holiday?
Not in 2026. In the 2026 official almanac calendar, Armed Forces Day is listed only as a commemorative day. 1/10/2024 was a temporary public holiday.
What is the difference between a temporary public holiday and a substitute holiday?
A substitute holiday is a day set when the conditions of Article 3 of the regulations are met, such as a public holiday overlapping a Saturday, a Sunday, or another public holiday. A temporary public holiday is a day the government designates separately through Cabinet meeting deliberation (Article 2(11) and Article 4 of the regulations).