National holidays
| Month | Holiday |
|---|---|
| January | New Year's Day |
| January / February | Seollal — Lunar New Year (3 days) |
| March | Independence Movement Day |
| May | Children's Day, Buddha's Birthday |
| June | Memorial Day |
| August | Liberation Day |
| September / October | Chuseok — Korean Thanksgiving (3 days) |
| October | National Foundation Day, Hangul Day |
| December | Christmas Day |
Your paid vacation
Private academies give 11–20 paid days, usually split into a summer week and a winter week set by the school calendar rather than taken all at once. Public schools give more — often 18–21 days — and you have more freedom over when to take them. Check the exact wording in your contract before signing.
Making the most of it
Incheon is one of Asia's best-connected airports. Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Hanoi and Manila are all short flights, and a long weekend is genuinely enough for any of them. Inside Korea, the KTX puts Busan two and a half hours from Seoul.