May 4th Not Designated Public Holiday; Schools Nationwide to Hold Discretionary Closures

With May 1st Labour Day designated as a legal public holiday, a 'bridge' holiday connecting to May 5th Children's Day has been created. Although May 4th is not a nationally designated public holiday, many schools are designating the 'sandwich day' between Children's Day and the weekend as a school principal's discretionary closure day, operating it as their own special holiday.

This decision aims to provide students with additional rest, and the specific way each school manages its academic calendar may vary. There were discussions about designating a public holiday ahead of the early May holiday, but no related details have been disclosed.

Separately, an incident occurred at Daejeon O-World where a wolf named 'Neukgu' escaped. Neukgu dug under a fence and escaped around April 8th, and was recaptured after nine days. As of April 20th, Daejeon O-World had been notified to suspend the use of its zoo facilities for one month, leading to an operational halt. O-World is undergoing temporary closure for a comprehensive safety inspection of its facilities and to prepare measures to prevent recurrence. The decision on whether to reopen will be made in late May, with the temporary closure period beginning April 8th.