The 'holiday drought' for workers begins… No public holidays on weekdays from June 6 to August 15

With the last public holiday being Memorial Day on June 6, a 'holiday drought' has arrived for workers.

Until the upcoming Liberation Day on August 15, there will be no statutory public holidays on weekdays for about 70 days. As a result, voices of fatigue from having to work without a long break during the summer season are growing among workers.

Looking at this year's public holidays, there are no holidays for about 10 weeks between Memorial Day on June 6 and Liberation Day on August 15.

This means there are no official days off for workers to rest, excluding weekends.

In particular, as the intense summer heat sets in during July and August, the physical and mental fatigue of workers who have to work without a break for a long period is expected to increase.

Voices for "Revival of Constitution Day" are spreading

In this situation, complaints from workers are flooding online.

On one online community, reactions such as "Let's revive Constitution Day," "Bring on the four-day work week," and "Is this a joke? Please tell me it's a joke" have poured in.

Constitution Day, on July 17, was a statutory holiday from 1949 until 2007 but was excluded from public holidays starting in 2008 as part of a policy to expand working hours for economic growth.

Out of the five major national holidays that commemorate significant events in the country (March 1st Movement Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, National Foundation Day, Hangul Day), Constitution Day is the only one that is not a public holiday.

Recently, with a growing focus on work-life balance, discussions about the revival of Constitution Day as a holiday have been raised intermittently.

Workers' self-help measures… Increase in "planned annual leave usage"

Due to the absence of statutory public holidays for 10 weeks, workers are seeking their own alternatives. The most common method is to strategically use annual leave.

A worker based in Gangnam, Seoul, said, "Since there are no public holidays during this period, I plan to use my annual leave strategically." They added, "I plan to take leave on Fridays or Mondays to create a three-day weekend for a short trip."

Unfortunately, there are also no statutory holidays in September after Liberation Day on August 15, further increasing workers' sighs.

However, the situation will change starting in October. This year's Chuseok holiday will provide a seven-day break from the 3rd to Hangul Day on the 9th. If annual leave is used on October 10, workers can enjoy a maximum of 10 days off, raising their expectations.

Image source: Reference photo for better understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank