Public Holidays and Traditional Festivals in Korea: Golden Week in October 2025

출처: 네이버 "10월 달력" 캡처본

Hello! Today, I’d like to talk about public holidays in Korea.
Every country has its own holidays and celebrations, right?

If you're living in Korea, you’re probably curious about the national holidays here—and knowing them in advance can really help with planning your schedule.

Most notably, there's an extended holiday break coming up in October 2025.
Let’s take a look at why this break is so long and what holidays are included.

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1. Major Traditional Holidays in Korea

Traditional holidays (called "myeongjeol" in Korean) are very important days in Korean culture.
There are two major holidays each year: Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Korean Harvest Festival).

In both holidays, people usually get three days off—the day before, the day of, and the day after the holiday.

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1) Seollal (설날 – Lunar New Year)

• Date: January 28, 2025 (Tuesday)
• Meaning: A day to celebrate the beginning of the new year with family.
• What do people usually do?
  → Families gather, eat tteokguk (rice cake soup), perform deep bows (sebae) to elders, and hold ancestral memorial rituals (charye).
  → People also enjoy traditional games like yutnori.

✦ What's the difference between Sinjeong and Gujeong?

→ January 1 is Sinjeong, the New Year according to the solar calendar.
→ Seollal is Gujeong, the Lunar New Year.
→ Sinjeong is a one-day holiday, while Seollal is more widely celebrated and lasts for three days.

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2) Chuseok (추석 – Korean Harvest Festival)

• Date: October 6, 2025 (Monday)
• Meaning: A holiday to give thanks to ancestors after the autumn harvest.
• What do people usually do?
  → Families make songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes), perform ancestral rites (charye), and visit their ancestors' graves (seongmyo).
  → Many people travel to their hometowns, so traffic jams during the holiday are quite famous.

🎎 These days, traditional ways of celebrating are gradually changing.
More families now spend the holidays traveling or relaxing together, rather than strictly following the old customs.

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2. A Quick Look at Korea’s Major Public Holidays (2025)

Here is a table of Korea’s major public holidays with brief explanations.
Some are based on the solar calendar, while others follow the lunar calendar, so their dates may vary each year.

 

Date (based on calendar) Holiday Name Description

Date	Holiday Name	Description
January 1 (Solar)	New Year’s Day (Sinjeong)	The first day of the new year. Some families eat tteokguk (rice cake soup) to welcome the new year.
Lunar January 1	Seollal (Lunar New Year)	One of the biggest holidays. Families gather, share meals, and perform ancestral rituals.
March 1 (Solar)	Independence Movement Day (Samiljeol)	Commemorates the 1919 independence movement during Japanese colonial rule.
Lunar April 8	Buddha’s Birthday	A major Buddhist holiday. Lanterns light up temples across the country. The solar calendar date changes every year.
May 5 (Solar)	Children’s Day	A day to celebrate children. Families often go on outings or spend time together.
June 6 (Solar)	Memorial Day	Honors those who died in service to the country.
August 15 (Solar)	Liberation Day (Gwangbokjeol)	Celebrates Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule in 1945.
Lunar August 15	Chuseok (Harvest Festival)	Along with Seollal, this is one of Korea’s biggest holidays. Families give thanks to ancestors and share traditional food.
October 3 (Solar)	National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol)	Commemorates the founding of the ancient Korean kingdom Gojoseon.
October 9 (Solar)	Hangul Day	Celebrates the creation of the Korean writing system, Hangul.
December 25 (Solar)	Christmas	Celebrates the birth of Jesus. Even non-Christians in Korea often enjoy the holiday.

🌓 Solar vs. Lunar Calendar – What’s the Difference?

Some major Korean holidays—such as Seollal and Chuseok—are based on the lunar calendar, so their dates change every year on the solar calendar.

For example, in 2025:

• Seollal falls on January 28
• Chuseok falls on October 6

📌 Helpful Tip

Even for locals, lunar calendar dates can be confusing!
If you’re unsure about the exact dates of holidays like Seollal or Chuseok, just search “음력 달력 (lunar calendar)” online.

Try searching “2025 음력 달력 (lunar calendar)” on Naver or Google—you’ll find the information easily.
Calendar apps in Korea (like Naver Calendar or Kakao Calendar) also show both solar and lunar dates.

 

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3. Public Holidays in October 2025

October 2025 has many public holidays, and with good planning, you can enjoy a long holiday break, often called a “Golden Week” in Korea.

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🔸 What is a substitute holiday?

If a public holiday falls on a Sunday or overlaps with another day off, the next weekday (usually Monday) becomes an additional day off.
This is called a substitute holiday.

 

Date	Day	Holiday/Notes
October 3	Friday	National Foundation Day (Public Holiday)
October 4	Saturday	Weekend
October 5	Sunday	Weekend
October 6	Monday	Chuseok (Public Holiday)
October 7	Tuesday	Chuseok Holiday
October 8	Wednesday	Substitute Holiday for Chuseok (October 6)
October 9	Thursday	Hangul Day (Public Holiday)
October 10	Friday	What if you take this day off?
October 11-12	Saturday-Sunday	Weekend

 

👉 If you take just one day off on October 10 (Friday), you can enjoy a 10-day holiday from October 3 (Friday) to October 12 (Sunday)!

This kind of long break is called a “Golden Week” (황금연휴) in Korea. 😎

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📌 Final Tips

While living in Korea, you might notice that many shops suddenly close during Seollal or Chuseok, and the traffic becomes very congested.
It’s a good idea to do your shopping in advance and plan your trips or appointments carefully before these holidays.
If you don’t have family to spend the holidays with, consider joining local community or foreigner-friendly events organized by your city or neighborhood. These can be great opportunities to enjoy the holiday together.