The last day of the 2026 Chuseok holiday period is Saturday, September 26.
Although Sunday follows, Monday, September 28, will not automatically become a day off.
It is worth examining why public holidays that look similar on the calendar can be subject to different rules.
3-line summary
1. A Saturday overlap during the Chuseok holiday period does not meet the requirements for a substitute holiday.
2. September 28 is a regular weekday unless separately designated.
3. A temporary holiday is confirmed only after a government decision.
The Chuseok holiday period lasts four days, from September 24 to 27
Chuseok in 2026 falls on Friday, September 25, and the statutory Chuseok holiday period runs from Thursday, September 24, the preceding day, through Saturday, September 26, the following day. With Sunday, the 27th, immediately following, the period becomes a four-day holiday from Thursday through Sunday based on a five-day workweek.
The date drawing attention is Monday, September 28. If Monday were also a day off, it would create a five-day holiday, prompting questions about whether a holiday should be added on Monday because the last day of the Chuseok holiday period overlaps with Saturday. However, the fact that it overlaps with Saturday alone does not make Monday a substitute holiday.
According to reports by Gukje News and Maeil Shinmun, a substitute holiday for the Chuseok holiday period is granted by designating the first non-holiday after the holiday period as a day off when a public holiday during the period overlaps with Sunday or another public holiday. This year, September 26 falls on Saturday, but no day within the Chuseok holiday period overlaps with Sunday. The 27th is Sunday, but it is a weekend day attached after the Chuseok holiday period.
A Saturday overlap and a substitute holiday do not use the same criteria
It is easy to assume that every public holiday overlapping with Saturday creates a substitute holiday. However, Maeil Shinmun explains that substitute holidays may be created when holidays such as Samiljeol, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangul Day, Buddha’s Birthday, Children’s Day, and Christmas overlap with Saturday, whereas the Chuseok holiday period is subject to different criteria.
Accordingly, for Chuseok in 2026, the Saturday overlap on September 26 alone does not create a substitute holiday on Monday the 28th. The basis for treating September 28 as a day off is not an automatic substitution, but a government decision to designate it separately as a temporary holiday.
This distinction is particularly important when making plans. A “substitute holiday” is a day off applied when specified requirements are met, while a “temporary holiday” is a day off that the government may designate as needed. Both are public holidays by name, but they arise through different processes.
The possibility of a temporary holiday must be distinguished from an announcement
Maeil Shinmun and AutoTribune reported that, as of September 8, the government had not announced a policy to designate September 28 as a temporary holiday. The confirmed schedule at that point was that September 28 was a regular weekday. Discussing the possibility of a temporary holiday is different from confirming its designation.
In the past, there have been cases in which the government designated a temporary holiday through a separate decision. According to a Maeil Shinmun report, in 2023, October 2, which fell between the Chuseok holiday period and National Foundation Day, was designated as a temporary holiday. However, this does not mean that the previous designation will lead to September 28, 2026, being designated as a holiday.
This calendar also differs from the typical “bridge” arrangement in which a single weekday falls between several public holidays. If the 28th is designated, the four-day holiday would become five days, but at the present time, that day is not an automatically created holiday. Therefore, it is appropriate to plan the schedule after Chuseok on the assumption that the 28th is a normal work and school day.
Annual leave is the way to secure a five-day holiday
Using annual leave on the 28th allows five consecutive days off from September 24 through 28. Conversely, using annual leave on Wednesday, the 23rd, creates five consecutive days from the 23rd through the 27th. Which option is more convenient may vary depending on travel plans for returning to one’s hometown and returning home, as well as work circumstances.
Before the status of a temporary holiday is officially determined, it is important to be cautious about finalizing plans on the assumption that the 28th will be a day off. In particular, making lodging or travel plans on the basis that the 28th is a weekday can reduce confusion. The key point is that there is no automatic connection between the fact that “a public holiday overlaps with Saturday” and the conclusion that “Monday is a substitute holiday.”
References
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