The Disappeared 'Red Day' Returns... Substitute Holidays and Other Livelihood Bills to Be Passed at June National Assembly Plenary Session

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 29th, the National Assembly will hold a plenary session and pass a total of 86 agenda items, including the "Substitute Holiday Act," which applies substitute holidays to all public holidays that overlap with weekends.

Among the bills expected to pass the plenary session that afternoon, the "Act on Public Holidays" is considered a bill of public interest.

The "Act on Public Holidays" aims to designate substitute holidays for all public holidays that coincide with weekends to stimulate consumption sentiment, which has been stagnant due to COVID-19, and to guarantee the public's right to rest.

Currently, substitute holidays are only applied to three public holidays: Lunar New Year holidays (Sunday), Chuseok holidays (Sunday), and Children's Day (Saturday, Sunday).

However, if this bill passes, substitute holidays will be expanded to all public holidays including national holidays, January 1st, and Lunar New Year, fully guaranteeing the 15 public holidays stipulated by law (excluding Sundays, election days, and temporary holidays). This is meaningful as it ensures the public's right to rest and aims to improve quality of life.

According to the supplementary provisions, the enacted law will be implemented from January 1, 2022, in line with Article 55, Paragraph 22 of the Labor Standards Act, which expands the paid holiday system to all workplaces with five or more employees.

However, even before the law's enforcement date, a supplementary provision has been prepared to apply substitute holidays if Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangul Day, or Christmas fall on a Saturday or Sunday, starting from the upcoming August 15 Liberation Day. As a result, a total of four substitute holidays are expected this year.

On the same day, Yoon Ho-jung, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at the morning floor strategy meeting, "The bills to be passed in today's plenary session are highly anticipated and many are directly related to the recovery of people's livelihoods."

Regarding the Substitute Holiday Act, Floor Leader Yoon said, "We will be able to restore the lost 'red day' holidays," and added, "It will be applied starting from the upcoming Liberation Day and is hoped to be an opportunity to strengthen work-life balance (Work-Life Balance, WLB)."

In addition, follow-up bills to the government's 2.4 housing supply plan, such as the "Special Act on Public Housing" for stabilizing the housing market, will also be passed that day. Bills related to healing past incidents, such as the "Yeosun Incident Special Act," and the "Act on Prevention of Building Collapse Accidents," which aims to prevent recurrence of the Gwangju collapse accident, are also awaiting passage.

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