Holiday Facts In the fall, there is one holiday that dominates all others: Chuseok. Chuseok is the Korean thanksgiving, and usually gets three days of holidays around the end of September. These three days off are public holidays, so if you are employed in South Korea, you should be getting three days off for this holiday. Unfortunately, Chuseok falls on September 30th this year, a Sunday, which means that depending on your employer, the dates are not set in stone, except for Monday October 1st. In some cases for public holidays, if you they land on a weekend in Korea, that’s tough, and you won’t get the day off. Chuseok, however, is one of the most important holidays in Korea, so even the strictest hagwon will require a few days off, because there will be few students. Seoul’s population has only boomed over the past couple of decades, so many of them trace their roots back to more rural areas in Korea. Traditionally, families return to their hometowns, visiting parents and grandparents, honouring their ancestors and preparing for the autumn. Since the art of making kimchi is passed down through families, many families take advantage of this visit home to make kimchi with their grandparents.
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