Will an Unprecedented Golden Holiday Arrive in October?... But Not Everyone Will Enjoy It

Expectation for Temporary Holiday Stirs Excitement
A 10-Day Break Possible with Just One Day of Annual Leave
Skepticism Over "Burden on Companies, Households, and Academic Schedules"

After returning to their daily routines following summer vacations, office workers are already focusing their attention on whether October 10 will be designated as a temporary holiday. If this single day is made a holiday, it would create an unprecedented long break of up to ten days.

This October, starting from National Foundation Day on the 3rd (Friday), followed by Saturday the 4th, the Chuseok holidays from the 5th to the 7th (Sunday to Tuesday), a substitute holiday on the 8th (Wednesday), and Hangul Day on the 9th (Thursday), there will be seven consecutive days off. If Friday, October 10, is designated as a temporary holiday, people will be able to enjoy a golden holiday period lasting as long as ten days, including the weekend of the 11th and 12th.

Interest in Designating October 10 as a Temporary Holiday... Possibility of a 10-Day Golden Holiday

This October, a golden holiday period has been created as holidays overlap. Starting from October 3rd (Friday), National Foundation Day, followed by the Chuseok holidays from the 5th to the 7th (Sunday to Tuesday), a substitute holiday on the 8th (Wednesday), and Hangul Day on the 9th (Thursday), there is a total of seven consecutive days off. If October 10th (Friday) is designated as a temporary holiday, people can enjoy a long holiday lasting up to 10 days, until the 11th and 12th. Naver Calendar

Office workers are already focusing on the October holiday period. On the 11th, posts on an office worker community included comments such as, "If a temporary holiday is designated, we can take ten days off without using annual leave," "Half of October will just fly by," "I’ll use annual leave and go to Japan," "I booked a flight right away," "I’m even considering a trip to Europe," and "Please confirm the temporary holiday quickly."

According to the travel industry on the 11th, anticipation for the long holiday is rapidly boosting demand for both domestic and international travel. Round-trip airline tickets to Jeju departing from airports nationwide, including Gimpo, have already sold out months in advance, prompting airlines to add more flights to Jeju and Japan. In addition, more than 90% of hotel rooms at major tourist destinations across the country, including Jeju, are reportedly already booked. According to Kyowon Tour’s Travel Easy, demand for overseas travel from October 3 to 9 has increased by 28.7% compared to last year’s Chuseok holiday period (September 14 to 18).

"Overseas Travel Demand Outpaces Domestic Consumption"... Skepticism Remains

The appearance of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on January 24, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

However, despite the high expectations among most office workers and the travel industry for a "10-day golden holiday," there is also significant skepticism regarding the designation of a temporary holiday. On the 11th, posts on a self-employed community included reactions such as, "If the holiday is extended, everyone just goes abroad," "Absolutely opposed to designating a temporary holiday," "I’m already dreading losing a week of business in October, and a temporary holiday would make it worse," and "A long holiday is hell for the self-employed."

In fact, during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday, when Monday, January 27, was designated as a temporary holiday, creating a six-day golden holiday, the number of outbound travelers increased rather than domestic consumption. In January, 2.97 million Koreans traveled abroad, a 7.3% increase compared to the same month last year. This is also 2.1% higher than in January 2019. Furthermore, according to Statistics Korea’s nowcast, domestic credit card spending from January 24 to 31, which included the temporary holiday, decreased by 34% compared to the previous week, indicating that there was no boost to domestic consumption. As a result, there are growing concerns that long holidays are encouraging overseas travel.

Concerns Over "Burden on Companies, Households, and Academic Schedules"

There are also concerns that productivity in companies could be negatively affected. In January, when a temporary holiday was designated, the number of working days dropped to 20, four days fewer than the same month the previous year, which was the lowest for January since 2000. As a result, export volume in January decreased by 10.3% compared to the same month the previous year. In a report published in June, the National Assembly Research Service pointed out, "Recent temporary holidays have had limited effects on boosting domestic consumption, while revealing structural limitations such as declines in exports and production, and gaps in the right to rest."

There are also blind spots in terms of guaranteeing the right to rest for all citizens. Under the current Labor Standards Act, workplaces with fewer than five regular employees are not subject to temporary holidays, meaning that as of 2024, 10 million workers?accounting for 35% of all employed people?are excluded from these benefits. In addition, since many schools are scheduled to hold midterm exams after the Chuseok holiday, there are concerns that designating a temporary holiday could disrupt academic schedules at these schools.