Gov't Mulls Extra Holiday Next Month

The government is minded to make Aug. 17 a substitute holiday for Liberation Day, which falls on a Saturday and is normally not considered worthy of substituting.

In a meeting at the government complex in Seoul, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said, "Many citizens, especially medical professionals and health workers, are getting exhausted from the drawn-out coronavirus epidemic, so it seems necessary to give them time to rest."

"We have fewer holidays this year as many national public holidays overlap with weekends," he added.

But the main reason is that the government wants to boost domestic spending as more people open their wallets on holidays.

The government did the same for the same occasion in August 2015 when the Korean economy hit by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak.

Koreans have 115 days off this year, two fewer than last year and the fewest in the last five years.