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Bill approved to designate May 1 Labor Day as public holiday for all workers

Published: 31 Mar. 2026, 17:35

Lawmakers pass a bill that designates Labor Day as a public holiday at a plenary session at the National Assembly building in western Seoul on March 31. [YONHAP]

Korea’s parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to designate May 1, Labor Day, as a public holiday for all workers, extending the right to paid leave to groups previously excluded, such as public officials, teachers and gig workers.

The National Assembly passed the revision to an act on public holidays in a plenary session, with 194 lawmakers voting in favor, two against and three abstaining out of 199 present.

The new law will take effect immediately, starting with this year’s Labor Day, which until last year was called Workers' Day.

The revision formally designates Labor Day as a public holiday and broadens its coverage to include workers who had not been guaranteed time off under the Labor Standards Act.

Those newly covered include public officials, teachers and workers in special types of employment such as delivery drivers.

The move seeks to ensure that all workers can take a day of rest on Labor Day regardless of their employment status.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]