President Park Geun-hye and her Cabinet members plan to discuss designating the day before next week's National Liberation Day as a temporary holiday, an official said Monday, in an apparent move to boost the spirits of South Koreans.

Liberation Day, which falls on Aug. 15, is a major holiday in both South and North Korea. This year's anniversary holds significance as it marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

The idea of designating a temporary holiday is set to be discussed at the Cabinet meeting scheduled Tuesday, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters.

Park has not made a decision on designating Aug. 14 a temporary holiday, but there is strong possibility for the designation.

The plan is apparently meant to bolster public feelings of national pride as well as to help the economy recover, which was hit hard by the deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

In 2002, South Korea designated a temporary holiday soon after the World Cup to celebrate its national team's advancement to the semi-finals. (Yonhap)