School holidays in korea 2023

Below is a list of the 2022 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 2023 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 2022.

School holidays in korea 2023
Korean National Holidays

Korean Public Holidays | Korean Holidays in 2022

Korean Public Holidays | Korean Holidays in 2023

Korean Public Holidays | How Does Korea Celebrate Holidays?

Korean Public Holidays | FAQ’s

KOREAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 2022

Korea has 13 public holidays, ranging from Hangul Day to Chuseok. Here is a full list of the Korean Holidays

DateHolidayKorean NameTransliterated Name
January 1st, 2022 New Year’s Day 신정 Sinjeong
February 1st, 2022 Korean New Year 설날 Seollal
March 1st, 2022 Independence Movement Day 3ㆍ1절 Samiljeol
March 9th, 2022 Presidential Election Day 선거날 Seongeonal
May 5th, 2022 Children’s Day 어린이날 Eorininal
May 8th, 2022 Budhha’s Birthday 부처님 오신 날 Bucheonnim Osinnal
June 6th, 2022 Memorial Day 현충일 Hyeonchung-il
July 17th, 2022 Constitution Day 제헌절 Jeheonjeol
August 15th, 2022 Liberation Day 광복절 Gwangbokjeol
September 10th, 2022 Chuseok 추석 Chuseok
October 3rd, 2022 National Foundation Day 개천절 Gaecheonjeol
October 9th, 2022 Hangul Day 한글날 Hangeulnal
December 24th/25th, 2022 Christmas 크리스마스/기독탄신일 Christmas/Gidoktansinil

Other Holidays and Observed Dates in 2022

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!

DateHolidayKorean NameTransliterated Name
February 14th, 2022 Valentine’s Day 발렌타인 데이 Barrentain Dei
February 15th, 2022 Daeborum 대보름 Daeborum
March 21st, 2022 March Equinox 춘분 Chunbun
April 5th, 2022 Arbor Day 식목일 Sikmogil
May 8th, 2022 Parent’s Day 어버이날 Eobeoinal
May 15th, 2022 Teacher’s Day 스승의 날 Sisunginal
June 21st, 2022 June Solstice 하지 Haji
August 4th, 2022 Chilseok 칠석 Chilseok
September 23rd, 2022 September Equinox 추분 Chubun
October 1st, 2022 Armed Forces Day 국군의 날 Gukgunuinal
October 31st, 2022 Halloween 할로윈 Harroein
December 22nd, 2022 December Solstice 동지 Dongji
December 31st, 2022 New Year’s Eve 섣달그믐 Seotdal Geumeum

KOREAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 2023

Here is a full list of the Korean National Holidays for 2023.

DateHolidayKorean NameTransliterated 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 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

DateHolidayKorean NameTransliterated 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

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.

School holidays in korea 2023

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.

School holidays in korea 2023

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.

School holidays in korea 2023

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.

School holidays in korea 2023

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.

School holidays in korea 2023

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)

School holidays in korea 2023


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.

What are the school holidays in South Korea?

School Holidays in South Korea 2020.

What is Korea's school schedule?

A typical day finds high schoolers studying before school begins at about 8:00 A.M. Classes run for 50 minutes each, with a morning break and a 50-minute lunch period. The afternoon session resumes at about 1:00 P.M., and classes continue until about 4:00 or 4:30, followed by the cleaning of the classroom.

How long is Korean summer break?

Korean children have only about 6 weeks of summer vacation, usually from mid-July to late August, but university students keep trains and buses busy throughout the season.

What month do Korean schools start?

The academic year in Korea lasts from March until February. The first term lasts five months, March to July, and is followed by a month of summer holidays. The second term starts in September and ends in February, with a one-and-a-half-month winter break starting at mid-December and ending late January.