Last updated: March 2026
Market Holidays 2026
KRX & NexTrade closure dates for foreign investors
All Market Closures
| Date | Day | Holiday | Korean | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-01 | Thu | New Year's Day | ์ ์ | |
| 02-16 | Mon | Lunar New Year Holiday | ์ค๋ ์ฐํด | Day before Seollal |
| 02-17 | Tue | Lunar New Year | ์ค๋ | 3-day break (MonโWed) |
| 02-18 | Wed | Lunar New Year Holiday | ์ค๋ ์ฐํด | Day after Seollal |
| 03-02 | Mon | Independence Movement DaySubstitute | ์ผ์ผ์ | Substitute โ Mar 1 is Sunday |
| 05-01 | Fri | Labor Day | ๊ทผ๋ก์์ ๋ | KRX closed, not a public holiday |
| 05-05 | Tue | Children's Day | ์ด๋ฆฐ์ด๋ | |
| 05-25 | Mon | Buddha's BirthdaySubstitute | ๋ถ์ฒ๋์ค์ ๋ | Substitute โ May 24 is Sunday |
| 08-17 | Mon | Liberation DaySubstitute | ๊ด๋ณต์ | Substitute โ Aug 15 is Saturday |
| 09-24 | Thu | Chuseok Holiday | ์ถ์ ์ฐํด | Day before Chuseok |
| 09-25 | Fri | Chuseok | ์ถ์ | Sep 26 (Sat) is also Chuseok holiday |
| 10-05 | Mon | National Foundation DaySubstitute | ๊ฐ์ฒ์ | Substitute โ Oct 3 is Saturday |
| 10-09 | Fri | Hangul Day | ํ๊ธ๋ | |
| 12-25 | Fri | Christmas Day | ์ฑํ์ | |
| 12-31 | Thu | Year-End Closure | ์ฐ๋ง ํด์ฅ | KRX year-end market closure |
Total: 15 weekday market closures in 2026
Key Periods & Tips
Lunar New Year (Feb 16โ18)
3 weekday closures (MonโWed), creating a 5-day break with the weekend. Trading volumes drop 1โ2 days before. Plan T+2 settlement carefully.
Chuseok (Sep 24โ25)
2 weekday closures (ThuโFri). Sep 26 is Saturday (also Chuseok holiday). Combined with the weekend, a 4-day break from Thursday to Sunday.
October Cluster
Two closures: National Foundation Day (observed, Oct 5 Mon) and Hangul Day (Oct 9 Fri). Reduced trading days this month.
Tips for Investors
- T+2 settlement delayed over holidays
- FX markets also closed
- NexTrade follows KRX holidays
- Liquidity drops before major breaks
Substitute Holidays
Korea's substitute holiday system (๋์ฒด๊ณตํด์ผ ์ ๋), expanded in 2021, shifts holidays that fall on weekends to the next available weekday. In 2026, this applies to Independence Movement Day (Mar 1 Sun โ Mar 2 Mon), Buddha's Birthday (May 24 Sun โ May 25 Mon), Liberation Day (Aug 15 Sat โ Aug 17 Mon), and National Foundation Day (Oct 3 Sat โ Oct 5 Mon).
Note: The government may also declare temporary holidays (์์๊ณตํด์ผ) for elections or special events. These cannot be predicted. Check live market status for real-time info.
Source: KRX official calendar and Korean government public holiday designations. Updated annually.