If your trip lands on Seollal or Chuseok, plan the train seats first. The dates below come from the government's calendar notice. Where the notice is not specific, the page says so.
What is official, and what is not
The Korea AeroSpace Administration publishes the next year's calendar notice each year. The 2027 notice went out on 29 June 2026. It is the government's official source for these dates.
Official notice: The announcement page says 76 public office holidays on the 2027 calendar, 72 after the four that fall on a Sunday are removed, and 119 days off for a five-day week. It gives Seollal on Sunday 7 February with the holiday on 6 to 9 February, "including the Seollal substitute holiday". It gives Chuseok on Wednesday 15 September with the holiday on 14 to 16 September. It lists ten stretches of three days or more (Korea AeroSpace Administration, 29 June 2026, opened 11 October 2026)
The announcement page does not write out each substitute day. The table below takes the day of the week and substitute dates from the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute's data page for 2027, version V1.0a, made on 30 June 2026. That page says in plain words that it is not an official announcement, and sends readers to the notice. Every date in it fits inside the stretches the notice names.
The 2027 dates
| Holiday | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January | Friday |
| Seollal (with substitute) | 6 to 9 February | Saturday to Tuesday |
| Independence Movement Day | 1 March | Monday |
| Labor Day (with substitute) | 1 May, substitute 3 May | Saturday, Monday |
| Children's Day | 5 May | Wednesday |
| Buddha's Birthday | 13 May | Thursday |
| Memorial Day | 6 June | Sunday |
| Constitution Day (with substitute) | 17 July, substitute 19 July | Saturday, Monday |
| Liberation Day (with substitute) | 15 August, substitute 16 August | Sunday, Monday |
| Chuseok | 14 to 16 September | Tuesday to Thursday |
| National Foundation Day (with substitute) | 3 October, substitute 4 October | Sunday, Monday |
| Hangul Day (with substitute) | 9 October, substitute 11 October | Saturday, Monday |
| Christmas (with substitute) | 25 December, substitute 27 December | Saturday, Monday |
Source for the table: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 2027 calendar data page, made 30 June 2026. It says it is not an official announcement. The Buddha's Birthday date is from this page only, because the official announcement page we read does not mention it (opened 11 October 2026)
The ten long weekends
The official notice lists these stretches, counted for a five-day week: 1 to 3 January, 6 to 9 February, 27 February to 1 March, 1 to 3 May, 17 to 19 July, 14 to 16 August, 14 to 16 September, 2 to 4 October, 9 to 11 October and 25 to 27 December.
For a trip, that gives two big problems and a few small ones. Seollal and Chuseok are the two big ones. The long weekends in May, July, August and October are the small ones. Korean families travel on all of them.
What closes
We did not find an official list of what closes on each holiday. Our best-time page says many restaurants and small shops close for the main Seollal and Chuseok days, and that the cities get quiet. Treat that as general advice and check each place before you go. We have not confirmed palace, museum or market closing days for 2027.
When trains sell out
We could not open Korail's own pages on 11 October 2026. For Seollal 2026, a news report of Korail's announcement of 7 January 2026 says the sale opened on 15 January, for trains on 13 to 18 February. Seniors, disabled people and national merit recipients booked first, on 15 and 16 January. General sales ran 19 to 21 January, 07:00 to 13:00 (Hankyung, 7 January 2026, opened 11 October 2026).
That is the 2026 pattern, not a 2027 rule. We found no 2027 dates. Our Seoul to Busan page quotes a traveler post that says Korail now sells up to two months ahead, and says holiday periods are sold on their own dates. We have not confirmed that.
What we could not confirm
A one-off holiday can be added after the notice. We do not know of one for 2027. The astronomy institute table could change if the notice is corrected. Re-check this page against the official notice before you book.
What is checked here and what is not
Checked on 11 October 2026: the announcement page for the 2027 calendar notice (Korea AeroSpace Administration, 29 June 2026), including the Seollal and Chuseok stretches, the counts and the ten long weekends. The astronomy institute's 2027 date table. A news report of Korail's Seollal 2026 sale dates.
Not checked: the notice's attached PDF, which did not download for us, so the single substitute days rest on the institute table. Korail's own pages, any 2027 train sale date, what closes on each holiday, and any one-off holiday. We did not use forum posts.
