Korean Job Discussion Forums

flummuxt · Joined: 15 Mar 2007

I went to mail a letter and the postal outlet at the convenience store was closed, as was the store, with a sign and some dates. Then I saw the pharmacy was closed.

Is there some sort of holiday going on, and how long does it last?

This country seems to have holidays every week or two. Is there a list somewhere?

K-in-C · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Location: Heading somewhere

In Korean many places shut down for vacation the last weekend of July for a few days to a week. It is the end of the monsoon season and pre-typhoon season. It is also a nightmare for travelers/vacations with clogged roads and the price of hotels/motels hiked up.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Almost certainly the family went on vacation (or there was a death in the family).

The next holiday is August 15 (Independence Day).

Look on any calendar (Korean). The holidays are in red.

denistron · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Location: Busan

yes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_South_Korea

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

You can get a list of holidays from your embassy or from the Korean government. This is the time for some families to take vacations, so it may not be a national holiday that has the store closed. There also could have been death in the family or perhaps a happy event such as a marriage or a new child.

Here is a list of holidays. It's from the website of the US embassy in Seoul. For the convenience of those for whom that link may not work, I've listed them below:

January 1st, New Year's Holiday
February 17th, Lunar New Year's Holiday (Will be February 2nd next year)
March 1st, Independence Movement Day
May 5th, Children's Day
May 24th, Buddha's Birthday (Will be May 12th next year)
May 31st, National Voting Day (I don't know if this will be the same next year)
June 6th, Memorial Day
July 17th, Constitution Day
August 15th, Independence Day
October 3rd, National Foundation Day
September 24th through 26th, Korean Thanksgiving Day (25th is the actual holiday; however, a 3 day observance is the usual practice)
December 25th, Christmas Day

Lunar New Year's, Buddha's Birthday, and Korean Thanksgiving have different dates every year because they are based on the Lunar calendar.