Korea Public Holidays 2026 and 2027: Seollal, Chuseok Dates

When are Seollal and Chuseok in 2026 and 2027?

Seollal 2027 falls on Sunday 7 February, and Chuseok 2027 falls on Wednesday 15 September. Both holidays follow the lunar calendar, so their solar dates shift every year. Each one covers three days: the day before, the day itself and the day after.

The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) released the official 2027 calendar data on 29 June 2026. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) publishes the full 2027 holiday table, including substitute days.

Holiday	2026	2027
Seollal (Lunar New Year)	Mon 16 to Wed 18 Feb	Sat 6 to Mon 8 Feb, plus Tue 9 Feb (substitute)
Chuseok (harvest holiday)	Thu 24 to Sat 26 Sep	Tue 14 to Thu 16 Sep

The 2026 dates come from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). Seollal 2027 starts on a weekend, so the substitute day on Tuesday 9 February stretches the break to four days for most workers.

What are all the public holidays in 2027?

KASI’s 2027 table lists the days below. When a holiday lands on a weekend, a substitute day usually follows on the next weekday.

Holiday	Date in 2027	Substitute day
New Year’s Day	Fri 1 Jan	none
Seollal	Sat 6 to Mon 8 Feb	Tue 9 Feb
Independence Movement Day	Mon 1 Mar	none
Workers’ Day	Sat 1 May	Mon 3 May
Children’s Day	Wed 5 May	none
Buddha’s Birthday	Thu 13 May	none
Memorial Day	Sun 6 Jun	none
Constitution Day	Sat 17 Jul	Mon 19 Jul
Liberation Day	Sun 15 Aug	Mon 16 Aug
Chuseok	Tue 14 to Thu 16 Sep	none
National Foundation Day	Sun 3 Oct	Mon 4 Oct
Hangeul Day	Sat 9 Oct	Mon 11 Oct
Christmas Day	Sat 25 Dec	Mon 27 Dec

KASA says Workers’ Day and Constitution Day were made public holidays starting in 2026. The early May week in 2027 is busy: Saturday 1 May to Monday 3 May is a three day break, and Children’s Day follows on Wednesday 5 May.

KASA counts 10 breaks of three days or more in 2027 for people on a five day work week. KASA also puts the total days off for that schedule at 119.

What is left of 2026?

Christmas Day, Friday 25 December, is the last public holiday of 2026. Hangeul Day already fell on Friday 9 October. KTO’s 2026 list also included a one off Local Election Day on 3 June.

After Christmas, the next public holiday is New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January 2027, then Seollal in February.

What closes during Seollal and Chuseok?

Offices and banks close on public holidays, per KTO. Palaces, museums, department stores and amusement facilities stay open, according to the same KTO page. KTO adds that during Seollal and Chuseok some businesses shut for several days in a row.

Plan bank or government office errands for a normal weekday. Smaller restaurants and family shops set their own hours over the break, so check opening times on a map app the day before. The cash and cards guide explains which payment options work where.

Is the National Museum of Korea open on holidays?

The National Museum of Korea closes on 1 January, on Lunar New Year’s Day and on Chuseok day itself. In 2026 those main days were Tuesday 17 February and Friday 25 September. The days either side of each holiday follow the normal schedule.

Day	Opening hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday	09:30 to 17:30
Wednesday, Saturday	09:30 to 21:00

Entry to the permanent exhibition halls is free. The museum also closes its galleries on the first Monday of March, June, September and December.

How do I get train tickets during the holidays?

Book holiday trains on the first day of Korail’s special booking round. Korail sells tickets for the holiday period in a separate round with fixed dates.

For Chuseok 2026, Korail’s press release of 14 August 2026 set out the round:

Step	Dates in 2026	Hours
Trains covered	23 to 27 Sep
Priority booking (65 and older, disabled, pregnant passengers and some others)	3 and 4 Sep	09:00 to 15:00
General booking, staggered by route	7 to 11 Sep	07:00 to 13:00

Bookings went through the Korail+ app and a holiday booking page on the Korail website. Korail accepted bookings only from integrated Korail members. Payment opened at midnight on 12 September, and general bookings had to be paid by 15 September.

The Seollal 2027 round will have its own dates. Watch the Korail notice board a few weeks before the holiday. For account setup and payment, see the KTX booking guide.

Common mistakes

• Using last year’s dates. Seollal and Chuseok move every year, so check the year you are traveling.
• Forgetting substitute days. Tuesday 9 February and Monday 3 May 2027 are holidays too.
• Planning a bank or office visit. Banks and government offices close on every public holiday.
• Going to the National Museum on the main day. The museum closes on Lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok day.
• Waiting to book trains. Holiday seats are sold in a short, separate round.

When this does not apply

If your trip stays inside one city, the holidays matter less: KTO says palaces, museums and department stores stay open, and the booking pressure falls mainly on intercity trains. For weather by month, see the best time to visit Korea.

The 2027 dates here come from the official calendar data published in June 2026. The government can still add a temporary holiday, so check KASI or KTO again before you fly.