Constitution Day on July 17 will be reinstated as a national holiday, following a revision to the relevant law on Thursday. This brings the total number of official non-working days in 2026 from 118 to 119, with the new holiday falling on a Friday, creating a long weekend for many workers.
Lawmakers on Thursday passed a revision to the Act on Public Holidays during a regular parliamentary session. It is now pending approval at a Cabinet meeting. Once in effect, Constitution Day -- which commemorates the promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea in 1948 -- will again be recognized as a national holiday. This status is shared by Independence Movement Day on March 1, National Liberation Day on Aug. 15, National Foundation Day on Oct. 3 and Hangul Day on Oct. 9.
Constitution Day had been observed as a national holiday until 2008, when it was removed from the official holiday calendar amid concerns over increased labor costs for companies following the introduction of the five-day workweek in 2004.
Calls to restore the status of the holiday have grown in recent years, with the debate gaining momentum after President Lee Jae Myung raised the issue at a meeting of senior secretaries on July 17 last year.
shinjh@heraldcorp.com
