Etiquette & CultureBy Clever Tourists · Published · Last updated
Seollal 2027 (Korean Lunar New Year) is Sunday 7 February 2027, and the public holiday runs Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February: 6–8 February is the three-day Seollal holiday and 9 February is a substitute holiday because New Year's Day lands on a Sunday. Those dates come from the official 2027 calendar published by the Korea AeroSpace Administration on 29 June 2026. Many holiday calendars wrongly list 6 February, which is the date in China and Vietnam. Here is why Korea is a day later, what closes, how train tickets work, and a planning timeline. Checked 26 October 2026.
Free toolWork out the exact tip on any bill →Pick the country, enter the bill and get the tip in local currency — including the places where service is already on the bill.Korea's official calendar data (wollyeogyohang) is published each year under the Astronomy Act. The 2027 edition, released by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) on 29 June 2026, gives Seollal as 7 February (Sunday) and lists 6–9 February as a four-day break made up of the Saturday, Seollal and the Seollal substitute holiday.
• Saturday 6 February: first day of the Seollal holiday
• Sunday 7 February: Seollal, the first day of the lunar year
• Monday 8 February: third day of the Seollal holiday
• Tuesday 9 February: substitute public holiday
The one-day difference with China and Vietnam is real. A lunar month starts on the day of the new moon in local time, and the February 2027 new moon falls at 15:56 UTC on 6 February. That is still 6 February in Beijing (23:56) and Hanoi (22:56), but already 00:56 on 7 February in Seoul (UTC+9). So Chinese New Year and Vietnam's Tết 2027 are on 6 February, and Seollal is on 7 February. Calendar sites that copy the Chinese date show Seollal a day early.
Korea doesn't shut down the way Vietnam does at Tết, but Seollal is the one stretch of the year when a lot of small businesses close at once, because families travel to their home towns. This is the usual pattern; venue-by-venue hours for 2027 have not yet been announced (as of 21 October 2026).
• Banks, post offices and government offices: closed 6–9 February
• National Museum of Korea: closes on Seollal day itself (it listed 17 February for 2026), so expect it to be shut on 7 February 2027; the 2027 closure date was not yet listed on its site as of 21 October 2026
• Traditional markets: many stalls close for several days around Seollal; in past years parts of Namdaemun and Gwangjang's non-food sections shut while some food stalls reopened sooner
• Department stores and big shops: usually close for one or two days around Seollal day, with dates set by each chain
• Family-run restaurants: many close on Seollal day and the days either side, especially outside the main tourist areas; chains, hotels and places in Myeongdong, Hongdae and Insadong are more likely to open
• Convenience stores: open as normal, most of them 24 hours
In 2026 the Korea Heritage Service made the four main Seoul palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung), Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon royal tombs free for five days over the Seollal holiday, and let visitors walk around Jongmyo freely instead of on a guided tour. Changdeokgung's Secret Garden stayed a paid, ticketed tour, and all of these sites closed the day after the holiday.
The 2026 announcement came out on 2 February, about two weeks before the holiday, so expect the 2027 plan in late January. Whether there will be free entry in 2027 is not yet announced (as of 21 October 2026). In 2026 Gyeongbokgung also handed out free New Year paintings (sehwa), and the palaces get crowded with families in hanbok. Our 3 days in Seoul itinerary covers the palaces.
The busiest travel days are the start of the holiday, when people leave Seoul (5–6 February 2027), and the last day, when they return (8–9 February). Seoul itself is noticeably quieter over Seollal day.
• How Korail sells holiday tickets: for Seollal 2026, Korail ran a separate holiday booking window about a month ahead. Advance sales for older and disabled passengers ran on 15–16 January, then sales for everyone else ran 19–21 January, 07:00–13:00, online or by phone only, with payment due a few days later. Only registered Korail members could book
• Seollal 2027 schedule: not yet announced (as of 21 October 2026). It will be the first Seollal sale since KTX and SRT merged in September 2026, so check the Korail+ app or korail.com in early January
• Practical advice: travel to Busan or Gyeongju before 5 February or after 9 February if you can, and book as soon as normal sales open. Our Seoul to Busan KTX guide covers the booking steps
• Subway and city buses: run as normal in Seoul and Busan, on holiday timetables
We traveled around South Korea for over a month, but not during Seollal, so this is planning advice. A February trip also runs into a paperwork change: Korea's temporary K-ETA exemption for the US, UK, Australia, Canada and 18 other countries and regions runs until 31 December 2026, and as of 21 October 2026 no extension has been announced. Unless that changes, you need an approved K-ETA for a Seollal visit; our K-ETA 2027 guide explains how to apply.
• Weather: early February is Seoul's coldest stretch, often below freezing at night, so pack proper winter layers
• Where to stay: central Seoul is the easiest base, because tourist areas keep the most places open
• Hotels: book early for 5–9 February outside Seoul, when domestic travelers fill coastal and home-town destinations
• Now to December 2026: sort out entry. The K-ETA exemption ends on 31 December 2026 and we found no announced extension as of 26 October 2026. Book hotels outside Seoul for 5–9 February now
• Early January 2027: watch for Korail's Seollal booking window. For Seollal 2026 (17 February) general sales ran on 19–21 January, about four weeks ahead, so expect mid-January for 2027
• Late January: the Korea Heritage Service announced 2026's free palace entry on 2 February, about two weeks before the holiday; expect the 2027 decision around late January
• 5 to 6 February: outbound peak from Seoul. Be where you want to spend the holiday by the 5th
• 7 February: Seollal day. Expect the National Museum of Korea and many family restaurants to be closed
• 8 to 9 February: return peak, with 9 February a substitute holiday. Plan long-distance trains for the 10th or later
If your dates are flexible, the other week to plan around is Chuseok, 14 to 16 September 2027 (Chuseok day is Wednesday 15 September), the autumn harvest holiday when the same home-town travel and closures happen again. It sits midweek in 2027, so there is no substitute day. Our Asia festival and holiday calendar 2027 lists it with Korea's other 2027 public holidays and the big dates in the other countries we visited.
Seollal 2027 is Sunday 7 February 2027. The public holiday runs from Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February, with 9 February as a substitute holiday.
February 7. Korea's official 2027 calendar puts Seollal on 7 February because the new moon falls at 00:56 Korean time that day. China and Vietnam celebrate on 6 February, which is why some calendars give the wrong date for Korea.
Yes. Seollal falls on a Sunday, so Tuesday 9 February 2027 is a substitute public holiday, making a four-day break from 6 to 9 February.
In 2026 the four main palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs were open and free for five days over Seollal, then closed the day after. The 2027 arrangements are expected in late January and had not been announced as of 21 October 2026.
Korail had not announced the schedule as of 21 October 2026. For Seollal 2026 it ran a special online and phone booking window about a month before the holiday, so check the Korail+ app or korail.com in early January 2027.
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