South Korea Designates May 1 Labor Day and July 17 Constitution Day as Public Holidays

Labor Day (May 1) and Constitution Day (July 17) have been officially designated as public holidays for government offices following Cabinet approval, a move expected to broaden rest-day protections nationwide.

The Ministry of Personnel Management said the Cabinet on April 28 approved a partial revision to the regulation on public holidays for government offices to add the two dates. The step follows amendments to the Public Holidays Act passed by the National Assembly in January and March.

Until now, May 1 had been a paid holiday only for private-sector workers under the law establishing Workers' Day. Public officials and teachers, who are not covered by the Labor Standards Act, were not guaranteed the same day off, prompting long-running fairness concerns. After the holiday's name was changed from Workers' Day to Labor Day in November, it will now become a day off for all citizens for the first time in about 60 years.

Constitution Day also marks a major shift. The day, commemorating the promulgation of the Constitution on July 17, 1948, was designated a national day and public holiday starting in 1949, but it was removed from the holiday calendar in 2008 after the adoption of a five-day workweek. Calls to restore it, citing its symbolic and historical significance, have continued, and it will regain public-holiday status after about 17 years.

The change is also drawing attention among office workers looking to extend breaks by using annual leave. If Labor Day falls midweek, taking leave on adjacent days can stretch time off from at least three days to as many as five. Depending on the weekday, Constitution Day can also be turned into a four-day break with a single day of leave when it falls next to a Friday or Monday.

Both holidays will be eligible for substitute holidays, creating an additional weekday off when they fall on a weekend, which can further lengthen consecutive breaks with minimal leave use.

The government said it expects the measure to strengthen the public's right to rest and to have economic spillover effects, including supporting domestic consumption. It also aims to narrow gaps in time off between the public and private sectors and reinforce the meaning of national commemorations.



* This article has been translated by AI.

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