All schools are closed for Korean national holidays and most schools close for a week in summer and a week at the end of the calendar year between semesters. Very seldom are you able to take discretionary vacations. If you're planning to attend a wedding at home or need specific vacation time we highly recommend informing your employer well in advance, if possible even before you sign the contract.
Standard contracts offer one to two weeks of paid vacation per year. This time is usually between semesters, thus you can expect to have a week of vacation in the summer and a week of vacation in the winter. In addition there are 12-14 Korean national holidays per year.
Standard national holidays in Korea are:
- January 1 New Year’s Day
- End of January or Early February Lunar New Year
- known in Korea as "Solal" - this holiday is the first day of the first moon. Most of Asia comes to a screeching halt on this day, which is usually in late January or early February. Usually there are 2 or 3 days off for this special day.
- March 1 Independence Movement Day
- this is the anniversary of the 1919 independence movement against the Japanese, who colonized Korea from the late 19th century until the end of WWII.
- April or May Buddha's Birthday
- the ‘Feast of the Lanterns’ or "puchonim oshinal" this holiday is on the eighth day of the fourth moon, which is normally in early May. Solemn rituals are held at Buddhist temples across the country. The day's festivities reach their climax when monks and laymen march through city streets with beautiful and often very elaborate paper lanterns. This holiday is always one working day and is fixed (no long weekends of convenience). Buddhist temples are packed with Buddhists (what did you expect, Catholics?) offering prayers for their loved ones.
- April 5 Arbor Day
- everyone from school children to businessmen plant trees on this day. Korea was largely stripped of its forests during the Japanese occupation, and recently Korea has become a leading nation in reforestation. However, since 2006 it`s not national statutory holiday anymore.
- May 5 Children’s Day
- this is an official holiday. Children receive gifts from parents and are taken on family outings. This may be one of the few days of the year you actually see fathers playing with their children outside – many Korean men work insanely long hours and have little time to spend with their children.
- May 8 Parents' Day
- this is not an official holiday; however, most families observe it with children giving parents carnations and letters of appreciation. Do not expect a day off work.
- May 15 Teacher's Day
- Ironically, this day is not a holiday for most teachers in Korea. However, you can expect to be showered with gifts from parents; some may be surprisingly substantial.
- June 6 Memorial Day
- this is like our Remembrance Day or ANZAC Day. Veterans of the Korean War and honoured as well as those who fought for freedom from Japanese occupation and all other forms of imperialism throughout Korean history. You'll be amazing how many flags fly from Korean apartments. If you get a moment, visit the National Korean Cemetary. Listen for a siren at 10am. EVERYTHING - traffic included - stops.
- July 17 Constitution Day
- this day celebrates the establishment of the first Korean constitution on July 17, 1948. The Republic of Korea (South Korea) was officially established about a month later.
- August 15 Independence Day
- unlike the United States, where one might celebrate Independence Day by quaffing a 12 pack of Bud Light and attending a Monster Truck Rally, Independence Day in Korea is often a somber affair when Koreans commemorate the injustices done during the Japanese occupation. August 15 is VJ day- the day the Japanese surrendered to Allied forces in 1945, marking the end of WWII.
- October 3 National Foundation Day
- the day when Dangun (the mythical "first Korean.") was supposed to have founded the Korean. Check out the Korean Culture section for more on this myth or ask a Korean friend or student.
- December 25 Christmas Day
- Christmas Day is an official holiday. Christianity is the faith of choice for more than half the Korean population. Quite differently from the West, young people go out to parties on December 25
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“I'd like to start off by saying that my choice to teach abroad in Korea was one I know I will never regret! Footprints made it very easy to communicate with the school regarding details of where I'd be living and what I'd be teaching as well as taking care of my flight information. At the airport the morning we left, my boyfriend and I encountered overweight bags and extremely long lines at security, and we missed our flight by literally one minute. As we watched our plane pull from the gate, we just about lost our minds and any hope that we'd make the long journey we'd been planning for so long. We made one simple phone call to the travel agent, Claus, that Footprints set us up with. It was 6AM where he was on a Monday morning when we called in a panic. He said, "Stay by your phone," and we knew that he would fix this fiasco for us. Luckily, while Claus was searching for a solution, a woman from United Airlines was able to book us on another flight so that we would make our connection out of the U.S. to Seoul. We would like to thank Claus and Laina at Footprints for all their help in getting us to Korea!
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