Korean holidays

Closed during Seollal + Chuseok (3 days each). Many family-run kitchens shut for the full long-weekend so staff can travel home. Major chain cafes (Starbucks, Twosome, Mega) and convenience stores stay open. Single-day holidays: normal operation, no impact.

Closed Seollal + Chuseok day-1 (when most Koreans travel). Often re-open from day-2 with shortened hours. Each chain picks its own monthly closure days too, so check the specific branch. Single-day holidays: open as normal, often with promo events.

Free entry during Seollal + Chuseok. Special programming (hanbok parades, traditional games) often runs both days. National Museum closes on regular Mondays. Gyeongbokgung specifically closes Tuesdays; verify each palace's weekly closure on its site.

Closed all public holidays. Plan currency exchange, bank visits, and immigration paperwork around them. ATMs stay operational. Private money-changers in Myeongdong / Itaewon stay open most holidays.

Reduced schedule during Seollal + Chuseok (typically holiday-Sunday timetable). KTX and intercity buses sell out 1, 2 weeks early; book ahead. Highway traffic is 2, 3x normal day-before/day-after. Single-day holidays: normal schedule.

A 3-day holiday around late Jan or mid-Feb.
Koreans return to family hometowns, so Seoul empties out and small businesses close.
Best to avoid for first-time visitors.

If you are already here: palaces have free entry + special hanbok events, but eat at chain cafes / convenience stores / hotel restaurants since most local kitchens close.

A 3-day harvest holiday around mid-Sep or early-Oct.
Same closure pattern as Seollal: small shops close, highways clog, palaces free.

Time it carefully: 2026 Chuseok runs Sep 24-26 with substitute Monday Sep 28, so the long weekend stretches to 5 days.
Book KTX/buses 2 weeks ahead.

If Seollal, Chuseok, Children's Day, Independence Movement Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, Buddha's Birthday, or Christmas falls on Sunday (or overlaps weekend), the next Monday becomes a holiday.
Memorial Day and New Year's Day do NOT substitute.

During Seollal + Chuseok, the four grand palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung) and Jongmyo are free for everyone.
Wear hanbok and entry is free year-round, but the major holidays add traditional games + parades.

Day before and day after Seollal/Chuseok are the worst driving days of the year, 3, 4x normal traffic.
KTX and intercity buses sell out a week in advance.
Stay in Seoul if you can.

CU / GS25 / 7-Eleven / Emart24 stay open every public holiday including Seollal + Chuseok.
Same with chain cafes (Starbucks, Twosome, Mega Coffee).
When local kitchens are dark, these are your fallback.

Seollal, Chuseok, and Buddha's Birthday are lunar holidays, so their Gregorian dates shift every year.
The 2026 dates above are best-effort; for travel planning, verify against the official source linked at the bottom.