(Getty Image)
(Getty Image)

Next 'golden' breaks come in 2028 and 2044

As the record-long Chuseok holiday comes to an end, South Koreans are already checking their calendars for the next extended break.

This year’s Chuseok was special for workers. The traditional harvest holiday overlapped with National Foundation Day and the weekend, creating a rare seven-day break. Those who took an extra day off on Friday, Oct. 10, could enjoy a full 10-day “golden holiday,” the longest in recent memory.

But now the question on everyone’s mind is: When’s the next one?

The closest break is Christmas Day, which falls on a Thursday this year. By taking Friday, Dec. 26, as a vacation day, employees can enjoy a four-day weekend. Another clever planning at year’s end — using Dec. 31 (Wednesday) and Jan. 2 (Friday) as leave for a national day off on Jan. 1 — could stretch the rest period to five days, ringing in 2026 with a well-deserved mini-holiday.

The next major national holiday will be the Lunar New Year, from Feb. 16 to 18 (Monday to Wednesday). Including the weekend before, it will grant five days off. By using Thursday and Friday (Feb. 19–20) as vacation days, workers can enjoy up to nine consecutive days of rest, nearly matching this year’s Chuseok streak.

March offers only one replacement holiday as Independence Movement Day (March 1) falls on a Sunday, while April has no official holidays at all.

But May brings multiple opportunities. By using one day of annual leave — Monday, May 4 — between Labor Day (May 1, Friday) and Children’s Day (May 5, Tuesday), workers can take a five-day spring break.

Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on Sunday, May 24, will have a substitute holiday on Monday, May 25, creating a three-day weekend.

Later in the year, Liberation Day on Aug. 15 lands on a Saturday, meaning Monday, Aug. 17, becomes a day off — another three-day break.

Next year’s Chuseok in late September will be relatively short, running from Thursday, Sept. 25, to Saturday, Sept. 27, with Sunday making it a four-day holiday.

Those dreaming of another 10-day golden stretch won't have to wait long: The next opportunity for a “golden” break arrives in 2028. That year, Chuseok (Oct. 2-4) connects with the weekend, National Foundation Day, and Hangul Day, creating a potential 10-day mega-holiday if one takes a leave on Oct. 6.

The next such alignment won’t happen until 2044, when Chuseok falls on Oct. 7. By using one vacation day, workers will be able to enjoy up to ten consecutive days off.


jychoi@heraldcorp.com