[Edaily Reporter LEE YOU-RIM ] With the Chuseok holiday beginning on the 24th, office workers are focusing their attention on whether the 28th—the day immediately following the holiday—will be designated as a temporary public holiday. While the Ministry of Personnel Management, the agency in charge, has stated that “there are no matters currently under review,” the lack of uniform criteria for designating temporary public holidays has created an atmosphere of both confusion and anticipation among citizens ahead of the holiday.

This year’s Chuseok holiday runs from Thursday, the 24th, through the 26th. Including Sunday, the 27th—the day immediately following the holiday—people can enjoy four days off, but many feel it is shorter than in previous years. Last year, the holiday was followed by National Foundation Day and Hangeul Day, creating a long, seven-day “golden holiday.” Over the past five years, the Chuseok holiday period—including weekends and other public holidays—has also been relatively long: 5 days in 2021, 4 days in 2022, 6 days in 2023, and 5 days in 2024.

Under current regulations, no substitute holiday will be observed on the 28th this year. According to the “Regulations on Public Holidays for Government Offices,” substitute holidays for the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays are designated only when those holidays fall on a “Sunday” or “other public holiday,” in which case the first non-holiday following the holiday is designated as a substitute holiday. Although the 26th (the day after Chuseok) falls on a Saturday, since Saturday is a non-working day rather than a statutory public holiday, it does not meet the requirements for a substitute public holiday.

Consequently, the only remaining possibility is for the government to separately designate the 28th as a temporary public holiday.

Under current law, the government can designate a specific date as a temporary public holiday following deliberation by the Cabinet. In fact, in 2017, the government designated October 2 as a temporary public holiday, creating a ten-day “golden holiday” that extended through Hangul Day. In 2023 as well, the government designated October 2—which fell between the Chuseok holiday and Gaecheonjeol—as a temporary public holiday to create a six-day holiday and stimulate domestic demand.

As a result, a game of political maneuvering is unfolding in workplace communities and on social media (SNS) over whether to use annual leave. Office workers have reacted with comments such as, “I can’t decide whether to take a day of annual leave on Monday,” and “It feels like torture—having to wait until right before the holiday.”

On the other hand, there is no shortage of concerns regarding the designation of the temporary public holiday. Critics point out that a longer holiday period is likely to divert a significant portion of domestic consumption toward overseas travel rather than stimulating the domestic market, and that a reduction in operating days will inevitably hurt manufacturers and other businesses. A self-employed business owner in a Seoul office district expressed concern, saying, “When a holiday is announced suddenly, office workers don’t come to work, which deals a major blow to sales.”

Amid these mixed feelings of anticipation and concern, attention is focused on whether the relevant agenda item will be presented at the last regular Cabinet meeting before the Chuseok holiday, scheduled for the 22nd.

An official from the Ministry of Personnel Management stated, “The designation of an additional public holiday is a matter decided after comprehensively considering the current economic situation and public opinion,” adding, “There are currently no ongoing reviews or discussions regarding designating the 28th as a public holiday.”