# Holiday & Anniversary Calendar

> View South Korean public holidays, anniversaries, national events, 24 solar terms, and miscellaneous days on a monthly calendar.

## What is the Holiday Calendar?

The Holiday and Anniversary Calendar is a comprehensive reference tool that displays all officially designated special days in South Korea on an interactive monthly calendar. It draws data from five separate APIs provided by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute through the Special Day Information service on data.go.kr, covering public holidays, national events, anniversaries and memorial days, the 24 solar terms, and miscellaneous traditional days. South Korea has a rich calendar of special days that blend modern legal designations with centuries-old astronomical and cultural traditions. Public holidays are legally designated days off from work and school, while national events commemorate significant moments in Korean history. The 24 solar terms are an ancient East Asian system of dividing the year based on the sun's position along the ecliptic, marking seasonal changes and traditionally guiding agricultural activities. Miscellaneous traditional days include culturally significant dates like Hansik, and the three hottest days of summer: Chobok, Jungbok, and Malbok. This tool is invaluable for planning vacations, understanding upcoming long weekends, learning about Korean culture and traditions, and ensuring you never miss an important date.

## How to use

Step 1: The calendar loads automatically showing the current month with all special days marked. Events are color-coded by type for easy visual identification — refer to the legend at the bottom of the calendar to understand the color coding.

Step 2: Navigate between months using the left and right arrow buttons at the top of the calendar. You can also return to the current month by clicking the 'Today' button.

Step 3: Look for colored dots or markers on specific dates, each indicating a special day. Red markers typically indicate public holidays (days off), while other colors represent different event categories.

Step 4: Click on any date to view detailed information about all events on that day. The detail view shows the event name, its category type, and whether it is a day off from work.

Step 5: Use the color legend to quickly scan the month for specific types of events. For example, if you are interested only in public holidays for vacation planning, focus on the red-marked dates.

Step 6: Plan ahead by navigating to future months. The calendar can display data for any month the API provides, allowing you to plan vacations, check for long weekends, and coordinate schedules months in advance.

Tip: Korean long weekends often occur when a public holiday falls adjacent to a regular weekend. Check for these opportunities early, as travel bookings fill up quickly during holiday periods. Also note that substitute holidays can create unexpected long weekends — the calendar reflects these when officially designated.

## Event Types

The calendar categorizes special days into five distinct types, each from a separate API endpoint:

1. Public Holidays — Red designation, official days off:
- New Year's Day (January 1)
- Seollal/Lunar New Year (1st day of 1st lunar month, 3-day holiday)
- Independence Movement Day (March 1)
- Children's Day (May 5)
- Buddha's Birthday (4th day of 4th lunar month)
- Memorial Day (June 6)
- Liberation Day (August 15)
- Chuseok/Korean Thanksgiving (15th day of 8th lunar month, 3-day holiday)
- National Foundation Day (October 3)
- Hangeul Day (October 9)
- Christmas (December 25)
- Election days (when applicable)

2. National Events — 5 major commemorative dates:
- March 1st Movement Day, Constitution Day (July 17), Liberation Day (August 15), National Foundation Day (October 3), Hangeul Day (October 9)
- Note: Constitution Day is a national event but NOT a public holiday

3. Anniversaries/Memorial Days:
- Arbor Day (April 5), Parents' Day (May 8), Teachers' Day (May 15), Armed Forces Day (October 1), etc.
- These are officially designated commemorative days but are not days off

4. 24 Solar Terms:
- Ancient astronomical divisions: Ipchun (beginning of spring), Gyeongchip, Chunbun (spring equinox), Ipha (beginning of summer), Haji (summer solstice), Ipchu (beginning of autumn), Chubun (autumn equinox), Ipdong (beginning of winter), Dongji (winter solstice), etc.
- Dates shift by 1-2 days annually based on the sun's ecliptic longitude

5. Miscellaneous Traditional Days:
- Hansik: 105th day after winter solstice, cold food day
- Chobok/Jungbok/Malbok: Three hottest days of summer
- Jeongwol Daeboreum: First full moon of the lunar new year

## Good to Know

Substitute holidays are an important feature of the Korean holiday system. Since 2014, if Seollal or Chuseok holidays overlap with another public holiday, or if Children's Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute holiday is designated on the next available weekday. Starting in 2023, this substitute holiday provision was expanded to cover Buddha's Birthday, Christmas, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, and Hangeul Day. This means more long weekends and fewer lost holidays. The calendar reflects officially designated substitute holidays when they have been announced.

Understanding lunar calendar dates is key for Korean holidays. Seollal and Chuseok are based on the lunar calendar, so their Gregorian (solar) calendar dates change every year. Seollal typically falls between late January and mid-February, while Chuseok occurs between mid-September and early October. Buddha's Birthday also follows the lunar calendar. The calendar tool automatically converts lunar dates to their solar calendar equivalents.

The 24 solar terms have practical relevance beyond tradition. While they originated as agricultural guides, many Koreans still reference them for seasonal awareness. For example, 'Daehan' (great cold, around January 20) is traditionally the coldest day, and 'Ipchun' (start of spring, around February 4) signals the coming end of winter. These terms appear naturally in Korean conversation and media, making them useful cultural knowledge.

Constitution Day (July 17) is often misunderstood. It is one of the five national events but has NOT been a public holiday since 2008. Many people mistakenly expect a day off. The calendar correctly shows it as a national event without the day-off designation.

For vacation planning, look for bridge days — regular workdays sandwiched between a holiday and a weekend. While not official holidays, many companies grant these as days off, and government offices sometimes offer flexible scheduling. Identifying these bridge days early allows you to maximize vacation time with minimal leave usage.

Note that some holidays have been reclassified over time. For example, Armed Forces Day (October 1) was a public holiday until 1990, and Arbor Day (April 5) was a public holiday until 2006. The calendar reflects current designations.

## FAQ

### Q. When are substitute holidays applied?

The substitute holiday system has been progressively expanded over the years. Originally introduced in 2014, it initially applied only to Seollal and Chuseok (when their three-day holidays overlap with other public holidays) and Children's Day (when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday). In 2021, the system was expanded so that Seollal/Chuseok substitute holidays also apply when they fall on a Saturday. The most significant expansion came in 2023, when substitute holidays were extended to cover six additional public holidays: Buddha's Birthday, Christmas, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, and March 1st Movement Day. When any of these holidays falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday (or next available weekday) becomes the substitute holiday. This expansion was a major win for Korean workers, ensuring that weekend holidays are never completely lost.

### Q. Why do the 24 solar terms fall on different dates each year?

The 24 solar terms are determined by the sun's ecliptic longitude — its position along its apparent annual path through the sky. Each solar term corresponds to the sun reaching a specific 15-degree increment of ecliptic longitude (for example, the spring equinox occurs at 0 degrees, the summer solstice at 90 degrees). Because Earth's orbital period is not exactly 365 days (it is approximately 365.2422 days), and because of slight variations in Earth's orbital speed due to its elliptical orbit, the exact moment the sun reaches each longitude point shifts slightly each year. This can cause the calendar date to vary by 1-2 days. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute calculates these dates precisely using astronomical algorithms, ensuring the calendar shows the correct dates for each year.

### Q. What is the difference between national events and public holidays?

National events and public holidays are distinct legal categories that often overlap but are not identical. National events are designated by the National Events Act and commemorate significant moments in Korean history. There are exactly five: March 1st Movement Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, and Hangeul Day. Public holidays are designated by the Regulations on Holidays of Government Offices and represent legally mandated days off. Four of the five national events are also designated as public holidays — the exception is Constitution Day (July 17), which lost its public holiday status in 2008 as part of a policy to increase working days. Conversely, several public holidays are not national events, including Seollal, Chuseok, Children's Day, Buddha's Birthday, Memorial Day, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

### Q. How many public holidays does South Korea have per year?

South Korea has approximately 15-18 public holiday days per year, depending on how the lunar calendar dates fall and whether substitute holidays are triggered. The fixed solar calendar holidays include New Year's Day (1 day), Independence Movement Day (1 day), Children's Day (1 day), Memorial Day (1 day), Liberation Day (1 day), National Foundation Day (1 day), Hangeul Day (1 day), and Christmas (1 day). The lunar calendar holidays include Seollal (3 days), Buddha's Birthday (1 day), and Chuseok (3 days). Additionally, election days are designated as public holidays when national or local elections occur. With substitute holidays, the effective number of days off can increase by 1-3 days in any given year. Compared to other OECD countries, Korea's number of public holidays is relatively generous.

### Q. Are there any plans to add new public holidays?

Proposals for new public holidays are regularly debated in the Korean National Assembly. Some recurring proposals include designating April 11 (Shanghai Provisional Government Day) as a public holiday, making Armed Forces Day (October 1) a public holiday again (it lost this status in 1991), and creating a Family Day holiday. However, adding new public holidays involves balancing cultural and historical significance against economic impact, as each additional holiday represents significant lost productivity for businesses. The most recent major change was the 2023 expansion of the substitute holiday system, which effectively increased the number of actual days off without adding new holidays to the calendar. Any future changes would be reflected in this calendar tool as soon as they are officially designated.