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2023 KOREAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS
Below is a list of the 2023 Korean National Holidays.
We will also dig deeper and talk about the significance of the Korean Public Holidays and how they are celebrated.
There is also a list of the 2024 Korean National Holidays for your reference below as well.
Throughout the page we’ve also created a number of images (including the one you can see here) that you can download, share and save.
Let’s learn about the Korean National Holidays in more detail now!
First up, the dates for 2023.

Korean Public Holidays | Korean Holidays in 2023
Korean Public Holidays | Korean Holidays in 2024
Korean Public Holidays | How Does Korea Celebrate Holidays?
Korean Public Holidays | FAQ’s
KOREAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 2023
Here is a full list of the Korean National Holidays for 2023.
Date | Holiday | Korean Name | Transliterated Name |
---|---|---|---|
January 1st, 2023 | New Year’s Day | 신정 | Sinjeong |
January 22nd, 2023 | Korean New Year | 설날 | Seollal |
March 1st, 2023 | Independence Movement Day | 3ㆍ1절 | Samiljeol |
May 1st, 2024 | Labour Day | 노동절 | Nodongjeol |
May 5th, 2023 | Children’s Day | 어린이날 | Eorininal |
May 27th, 2023 | Budhha’s Birthday | 부처님 오신 날 | Bucheonnim Osinnal |
June 6th, 2023 | Memorial Day | 현충일 | Hyeonchung-il |
July 17th, 2023 | Constitution Day | 제헌절 | Jeheonjeol |
August 15th, 2023 | Liberation Day | 광복절 | Gwangbokjeol |
September 29th, 2023 | Mid-Autumn Festival | 추석 | Chuseok |
October 3rd, 2023 | National Foundation Day | 개천절 | Gaecheonjeol |
October 9th, 2023 | Hangul Day | 한글날 | Hangeulnal |
December 24th/25th, 2023 | Christmas | 크리스마스/기독탄신일 | Christmas/Gidoktansinil |
Other Holidays and Observed Dates in 2023
Date | Holiday | Korean Name | Transliterated Name |
---|---|---|---|
February 14th, 2023 | Valentine’s Day | 발렌타인 데이 | Barrentain Dei |
February 5th, 2023 | Daeborum | 대보름 | Daeborum |
March 21st, 2023 | March Equinox | 춘분 | Chunbun |
April 5th, 2023 | Arbor Day | 식목일 | Sikmogil |
May 8th, 2023 | Parent’s Day | 어버이날 | Eobeoinal |
May 15th, 2023 | Teacher’s Day | 스승의 날 | Sisunginal |
June 21st, 2023 | June Solstice | 하지 | Haji |
August 22nd, 2023 | Chilseok | 칠석 | Chilseok |
September 23rd, 2023 | September Equinox | 추분 | Chubun |
October 1st, 2023 | Armed Forces Day | 국군의 날 | Gukgunuinal |
October 31st, 2023 | Halloween | 할로윈 | Harroein |
December 22nd, 2023 | December Solstice | 동지 | Dongji |
December 31st, 2023 | New Year’s Eve | 섣달그믐 | Seotdal Geumeum |
KOREAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 2024
Korea has 13 public holidays, ranging from Hangul Day to Chuseok. Here is a full list of the Korean Holidays
Date | Holiday | Korean Name | Transliterated Name |
---|---|---|---|
January 1st, 2024 | New Year’s Day | 신정 | Sinjeong |
February 10th-12th, 2024 | Korean New Year | 설날 | Seollal |
March 1st, 2024 | Independence Movement Day | 3ㆍ1절 | Samiljeol |
May 1st, 2024 | Labour Day | 노동절 | Nodongjeol |
May 5th, 2024 | Children’s Day | 어린이날 | Eorininal |
May 15th, 2024 | Budhha’s Birthday | 부처님 오신 날 | Bucheonnim Osinnal |
June 6th, 2024 | Memorial Day | 현충일 | Hyeonchung-il |
August 15th, 2024 | Liberation Day | 광복절 | Gwangbokjeol |
September 16th-18th, 2024 | Chuseok | 추석 | Chuseok |
October 3rd, 2024 | National Foundation Day | 개천절 | Gaecheonjeol |
October 9th, 2024 | Hangul Day | 한글날 | Hangeulnal |
December 25th, 2024 | Christmas | 크리스마스/기독탄신일 | Christmas/Gidoktansinil |
Other Holidays and Observed Dates in 2024
There are a number of other days scattered throughout the year that Korean’s like to celebrate.
These can include celebrating their love with their partner (Valentine’s Day) or their favourite teachers (Teacher’s Day), and a whole lot more!
Date | Holiday | Korean Name | Transliterated Name |
---|---|---|---|
February 14th, 2024 | Valentine’s Day | 발렌타인 데이 | Barrentain Dei |
February 24th, 2024 | Daeborum | 대보름 | Daeborum |
March 20th, 2024 | March Equinox | 춘분 | Chunbun |
April 5th, 2024 | Arbor Day | 식목일 | Sikmogil |
May 8th, 2024 | Parent’s Day | 어버이날 | Eobeoinal |
May 15th, 2024 | Teacher’s Day | 스승의 날 | Sisunginal |
June 21st, 2024 | June Solstice | 하지 | Haji |
August 10th, 2024 | Chilseok | 칠석 | Chilseok |
September 22nd, 2024 | September Equinox | 추분 | Chubun |
October 1st, 2024 | Armed Forces Day | 국군의 날 | Gukgunuinal |
October 31st, 2024 | Halloween | 할로윈 | Harroein |
December 21st, 2024 | December Solstice | 동지 | Dongji |
December 31st, 2024 | New Year’s Eve | 섣달그믐 | Seotdal Geumeum |
HOW DOES SOUTH KOREA CELEBRATE HOLIDAYS?
Here’s a quick rundown on how Korean people celebrate the big days in the calendar.
Korean New Year
Korean New Year, or 설날 (Seollal), is celebrated during the lunar new year, is one of the most important Korean holidays.
The date of Korean New Year will change each year as it follows the Lunar Calendar.
On this day, Korean people visit family, perform ancestral rites, and wear hanbok (traditional Korean clothing).
Children also often receive red packets, which contain money, from relatives.
Food eaten includes tteokguk and jeon, which are soup with sliced rice cakes and savoury pancakes respectively.

Daeborum
Daeborum, celebrated February 15th, is also called the Great Full Moon Festival. It celebrates the first full moon after the Korean New Year.
On Daeborum, people eat many traditional types of Korean food and partake in a number of local Korean traditions.
These include cracking nuts to ensure protection from skin diseases and drinking gwibalgisul (귀밝이술).
Gwibalgisul is a shot of liquor that keeps away ear infections and illnesses.
It ensures that you only hear good news for the rest of the year.

Chilseok
Chilseok is the Korean equivalent to Japan’s Tanabata festival and Romeo and Juliet.
It celebrates the one day a year that Jiknyeo and Gyeonwu, a couple separated by the Milky Way, can meet.
In Korea, people eat food made of wheat on Chilseok and take baths for good health.
DID YOU KNOW | Chilseok falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Korean Lunar Calendar.

Chuseok
Chuseok is the annual mid-autumn festival, which is held around the Autumn Equinox.
Chuseok is the biggest traditional holiday in South Korean aside from Korean New Year.
On this day, Korean people visit their hometowns and families, eat songpyeon (a type of Korean rice cake), and pay respects to their ancestors.
In fact, Mid Autumn Festival isn’t just celebrated in Korean, but other countries throughout Asia as well.
Check out our guide to the Mid Autumn Festival from a Chinese perspective.

Hangul Day
Now for a holiday that most certainly is only celebrated in Korea!
Hangul Day is a celebration of the creation of the Hangul alphabet by King Sejong in 1443.
Prior to the alphabet’s creation, Korean people wrote using Chinese characters, and literacy rates were much lower, as only wealthy people could afford to devote time and energy to learning thousands of Chinese characters.
While the new writing system took a while to catch on, by the mid-20th century, it was widely used in Korea.
Today it is celebrated as one of the most significant achievements of King Sejong the Great, who is regarded as one of Korea’s best kings.
Check out our full guide to the Korean alphabet here. It’s actually really quite easy to learn.

Christmas
Unlike in Japan, in South Korea 25-30% of the population is Christian, which is why Christmas is a national holiday, so everyone has the day off.
On Christmas, people celebrate by going to church, putting up light displays (often in shopping districts rather than their own homes), and eating Christmas cake.
Fun fact | Instead of traditional Christmas music, K-pop groups will often release special Christmas songs, which you’ll hear played in stores!
Money is a common gift, and presents are usually only given to one’s significant other, rather than between family and friends.
And just to make things even easier, the Korean pronunciation for Christmas is simply…
크리스마스 (keuriseumaseu)

That completes our guide to the Korean public holidays. Hopefully this gives you a clearer idea of the most important days in the Korean calendar.
Want to learn more about public holidays in Asia? Why not…
- Discover the Chinese National Holidays
- Find out the most important Japanese Public Holidays
- Learn about the big six National Holidays in Vietnam
DID YOU KNOW | You can now study Korean in Korea with LTL. We offer group classes, individually tailored courses and even homestay experiences in Seoul.
Drop us a message if you are interested in this incredible experience.
KOREAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS // FAQ’S
How many national holidays does Korea have?
Korea has 13 national holidays in total.
When is Seollal in 2022?
Seollal, or Korean New Year, was celebrated on February 1st in 2022.
It will be on January 22nd in 2023.
When is Seollal in 2023?
It will be on January 22nd in 2023.
Does Korea celebrate Christmas?
Yes, about 30% of Koreans are Christian, so Christmas is a national holiday in Korea, and everyone gets the day of work.
Korea is the only country in East Asia to do so.
What is Daeborum?
Daeborum celebrates the first full moon after the Korean New Year.
On Daeborum, people eat traditional foods meant to ward off various diseases and bad luck.
How many other holidays does Korea have?
Koreans celebrate or observe 13 other holidays, of which 4 (Valentine’s Day, Daeborum, Chilseok, and New Year’s Eve) are significant.
What is the most important holiday in Korea?
The most important holiday on the Korean calendar is Seollal, or the Korean New Year, since everyone celebrates it and travels home to see their families (whereas only a third of the country celebrates Christmas, for example).
What is Chuseok and when is it?
Chuseok, or the mid-autumn festival, is the biggest traditional holiday in Korea aside from Seollal.
It is held around the autumn solstice, and people visit their families and pay respects to their ancestors during the festival.
When is Hangul Day?
Hangul Day, which celebrates King Sejong the Great’s invention of the Hangul alphabet, which has greatly increased the literacy of the Korean people, is held annually on October 9th.