Nat'l Assembly Ratifies More Substitute Holidays

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill mandating more substitute holidays for public holidays that fall on a weekend.

The change will first be felt on Liberation Day on Aug. 15, which falls on a Sunday this year, and also covers National Foundation Day (Oct. 3), Hangeul Day (Oct. 9) and Christmas Day (Dec. 25).

Substitute holidays always fall on the following Monday, or the following weekday if the Monday is also a holiday.

Previously only a handful of public holidays like Chuseok and Lunar New Year were substituted.

Businesses with fewer than five workers will not be affected as many of them said they cannot afford the extra labor cost or lost productivity.