Constitution Day Restored as Public Holiday After 18 Years

Starting July 17 this year, Constitution Day will once again be designated as an official public holiday for national government offices after 18 years, allowing all citizens to take a day off. The legal amendment process to re-designate Constitution Day, which was the only weekday among the five national holidays, has been completed. Following a State Council resolution and legislative passage, the benefit of a day off for all citizens has been confirmed. The government had announced the designation of Constitution Day and Labor Day as public holidays by promulgating the 'Act on Public Holidays' in February. Subsequently, the State Council officially announced the designation of Constitution Day as a legal public holiday on April 28, passing an amendment bill containing regulations for government office closures. Excluded from public holidays in 2005 with the implementation of the five-day work week, Constitution Day has now returned to the list of red-letter days on the calendar. Constitution Day commemorates the promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea on July 17, 1948. It was designated a national holiday in 1949 and operated as a public holiday from 1950. Although it was removed from public holidays in 2005 due to the five-day work week, it has now gone through the process of being re-designated as a legal public holiday with the passage of this bill.

Since July 17 this year falls on a Friday, it allows for a three-day consecutive weekend. This year's Constitution Day does not overlap with the weekend, so no substitute holiday is applied.

A notable aspect of the revised holiday regulations is the expanded application of the substitute holiday system. The meeting also processed a regulation to include two commemorative days in public holidays for government offices, designating the next non-holiday day as a substitute holiday if they fall on a Sunday or another public holiday. According to the amended law, if Constitution Day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or another public holiday in the future, the following first weekday will be designated as a substitute holiday. As Constitution Day next year falls on a Saturday, July 17, the following Monday will be designated as a substitute holiday. Currently, legal public holidays that apply substitute holidays include the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, Children's Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, and Hangeul Day.

Among the remaining long weekends this year, Liberation Day falls on a Saturday, so Monday, August 17, will be a substitute holiday, allowing for three consecutive days off. Chuseok will form a four-day holiday from September 24 to 27, and National Foundation Day, Hangeul Day, and Christmas are also expected to offer three-day weekends.