The government is considering designating January 27th, which falls between the Lunar New Year holidays and the weekend, as a temporary public holiday. By doing so, workers can enjoy a six-day holiday including the preceding weekend. Furthermore, by taking one additional day off on Friday, January 31st, they could potentially have a nine-day holiday.
The motivation behind this move seems to be aimed at boosting domestic consumption in light of the ongoing economic recession. The current economic downturn, exacerbated by political unrest including martial law and impeachment proceedings, has led to weakened consumer sentiment. In response, the government is exploring measures to invigorate the domestic market. Choi Sang-mok, the acting Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, emphasized during a cabinet meeting the urgent need for measures to support the domestic economy amid these challenging times.