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Contents |
Table of South Korean public holidays
| Name | Date | Remarks | National Celebration Day | Flag Raising | Day Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day 신정(新正)1 |
January 1 | The day celebrates the new year. | No |  |
Yes |
| Korean New Year's Day 설날 |
1st day of 1st lunar month | Also called "Seol(설)". The first day of the lunar Korean calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays, and is considered a more important holiday than the solar New Year's Day. | No | No | Yes (3days) |
| Independence(Declaration) Day 3.1절(三一節) |
March 1 | This day commemorates the March 1st Movement in 1919. On March 1 of this year, the Korean people declared their nation's independence from Japan. It was a catalyst for the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea(April 13, 1919). | Yes | |
Yes |
| Children's Day 어린이날 |
May 5 | The day on which to esteem the personalities of children and plan for their happiness. In Korea, Children's Day started on May 1, 1922, when 8 persons including Bang Jeong-hwan declared the Day and held an anniversary. In 1946, the Day changed to May 5, and became a public holiday in 1975. | No | No | Yes |
| Buddha's Birthday 석가탄신일(釋迦誕辰日) |
8th day of 4th lunar month | Also called "Bucheonnim Osinnal(부처님 오신 날)" or "Sawol Chopail(사월 초파일,四月初八日). The birthday of the Gautama Buddha. According to 2005 statistics, 22.8% of South Koreans are Buddhists. | No | No | Yes |
| Memorial Day 현충일(顯忠日) |
June 6 | The day commemorates men and women who died while in military service or independence movement. It was originated from the traditional customs of Mangzhong, one of the 24 solar terms. On this day, national commemorating ceremony is held in National Cemetery. | No | (half staff) |
Yes |
| Constitution Day 제헌절(制憲節) |
July 17 | The day celebrates promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea in 1948. | Yes | |
No |
| Liberation Day 광복절(光復節) |
August 15 | The day celebrates national liberation from Japan in 1945. On this day, Emperor Shōwa announced surrender and World War II was ended. On the same day of 1948, the government of the Republic of Korea was established. The word "Gwangbok" means "restoration of light". | Yes | |
Yes |
| Mid-Autumn Festival 추석(秋夕) |
15th day of 8th lunar month | Also called "Han-gawi(한가위)". Korean traditional Harvest Festival. With Seollal, it is one of the most important Korean traditional holidays. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food. | No | No | Yes (3days) |
| Armed Forces Day 국군(國軍)의 날 |
October 1 | The day recognizes, venerates, and honors military forces of the Republic of Korea. In 1950, during the Korean War, South Korean Forces broke through the 38th parallel on October 1. | No | |
No |
| National Foundation Day 개천절(開天節) |
October 3 | The day celebrates the foundation of Gojoseon, the first state of Korean nation. According to Samguk Yusa, Dangun founded Gojoseon on the 3rd day of 10th lunar month, 2333 BCE. Today, South Koreans are celebrating their national foundation on October 3 in solar calendar, for convenience sake. "Gaecheonjeol" means "Heaven-opened Day". | Yes | |
Yes |
| Hangul Day 한글날 |
October 9 | The day commemorates the invention(1443) and the proclamation(1446) of hangul, the native alphabet of the Korean language. Hangul is a very scientific and creative artificial alphabet, so Koreans are proud of it. King Sejong the Great, inventor of hangul, is the best honored ruler in Korean history. | Yes | |
No |
| Christmas Day 기독탄신일(基督誕辰日) |
December 25 | Christmas is commonly called "Seongtanjeol(성탄절,聖誕節)" in Korean(especially among Christians), but official Korean name fixed by law is "Gidoktansinil"2. According to 2005 statistics, 29.3% of South Koreans are Christians(of which 18.3% (on total) profess to be Protestants and 10.9% to be Roman Catholics). | No | No | Yes |
| footnotes | 1 This is not legal name. The legal name is just "January 1" 2 The Sino-Korean word "jeol(절,節)' means 'the great holiday', and is only used for National Celebration Days in South Korean law. The word "il(일,日)" is for the names of general commemoration days. |
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National Celebration Days
The days celebrates national happy event. It is the beginning that Indepedence Declaration Day(March 1) was first stipulated by the Law of U.S. Military Government in Korea No.2(군정법률 제2호 "경축일공포의관한건")[1] in 1946. After the establishment of the Government of the Republic of Korea in 1948, four major National Celebration Days(Indepedence Declaration Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day) were provided by "The Law Concerning the National Celebration Days"(국경일에관한법률)[2] in 1949. In 2005, Hangul Day became the 5th National Celebration day.
National Flag Raising Days
All the National Celebration Days, January 1, Memorial Day(half staff), Armed Forces Day are provided by Article 8 of the "National Flag Law"(대한민국국기법 제8조)) [3]. On these days, it is promoted to raise taegukgi at every house and every roadside.
Public Day Offs
They are provided by "Ordinance Concerning the Holidays of Government and Public Offices"(관공서의 공휴일에 관한 규정)[4]. This ordinance is originally applied to only government and public offices, but most of individual business offices are also following it.
References
See also
External links
- Korean public holidays - history and search by year.
- Korean public holidays - Korea Tourism Organization
