All Public Holidays to Apply 'Substitute Holidays'... Passed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Legislative Subcommittee, Excluding Businesses with Fewer Than 5 Employees

Democratic Party Passes Bill Unilaterally

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The bill to enact the "Holiday Act," which allows all public holidays that coincide with weekends to be observed as substitute holidays, passed the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's bill review subcommittee on the 22nd. It was processed solely by the Democratic Party of Korea, and workplaces with fewer than five employees are excluded from the application.

According to the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, once this bill is implemented, this year’s second half holidays such as Gwangbokjeol, Gaecheonjeol, Hangeul Day, and Christmas, which coincide with weekends, will also become substitute holidays, allowing additional days off. Substitute holidays are designated as the first non-holiday immediately following a public holiday that coincides with a weekend. For example, for this year’s Gwangbokjeol on August 15, the substitute holiday will be observed on August 16.

The contentious issue of excluding workplaces with fewer than five employees from substitute holiday application remains. This exclusion conflicts with the current Labor Standards Act, which does not mandate paid leave for workplaces with fewer than five employees. During the subcommittee meeting held that day, the government proposed a legal amendment excluding workplaces with fewer than five employees from the application, which ultimately led to the bill’s passage.

Members of the People Power Party abstained from the vote, arguing that excluding 3.6 million workers employed at workplaces with fewer than five employees contradicts the spirit of a "national public holiday." The bill was passed solely by the Democratic Party of Korea. The People Power Party reportedly argued that while the second half public holidays this year should be designated as temporary holidays by the president, a comprehensive review by the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee is necessary in the long term.

The bill must pass the full Public Administration and Security Committee meeting and subsequently the National Assembly plenary session. If the bill is enacted during the June extraordinary session, substitute holidays will be applied starting from this year’s Gwangbokjeol.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.