New Year's Day

🎆 🇰🇷 South Korea • January 1, 2026

Days off: 1 days • Falls on Thursday

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New Year's Day — holiday, South Korea (January 1, 2026)

New Year's Day Description

New Year's Day (신정, Sinjeong) on January 1st marks the beginning of the Gregorian calendar year and is a public holiday in South Korea. Government offices, banks, post offices, and schools are closed. Many Koreans start the day by watching the sunrise, with popular spots including East Coast beaches and mountain peaks drawing large crowds. The ringing of the Bosingak Bell in central Seoul at midnight is a nationally televised tradition. In the days surrounding New Year, Koreans exchange well-wishes for health and prosperity. While Seollal (Lunar New Year) carries deeper cultural significance for family gatherings, Sinjeong is widely observed for social gatherings, dining out, and shopping — many department stores run major New Year sales. Public transport operates on a holiday schedule, with some late-night services on New Year's Eve. Most restaurants and cafes remain open. Note that in South Korea, January 1st is typically a single-day holiday.

📜 History & Origins

Sinjeong (New Year's Day) was established as a public holiday after Korea adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1896 during the late Joseon-era Gabo Reform. The Gregorian New Year was promoted as the 'official' new year during Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), but it remained secondary to Seollal (Lunar New Year) in popular practice. After the founding of the Republic of Korea in 1948, January 1 continued as a legal holiday, while the deeper family rituals of the new year — ancestor rites, sebae bowing, tteokguk — stayed tied to Seollal. Today Sinjeong is a lighter, more civic observance compared to the family-centered Seollal.

🎉 How It's Celebrated

The centerpiece of Sinjeong is the Bosingak Bell-Ringing Ceremony in central Seoul, broadcast live on national television at midnight, where civic leaders and selected citizens strike the historic bell 33 times. Many Koreans travel to the East Coast or climb mountains before dawn to watch the year's first sunrise (haemaji), with Jeongdongjin and Haeundae Beach among the most popular spots. Department stores and shopping districts launch major New Year sales, and friends gather for meals and drinks. Unlike Seollal, there are no formal family rites — the day is treated as a social and civic occasion.

🍽️ Traditional Foods

There are no Sinjeong-specific dishes, though some families eat tteokguk (rice cake soup) on January 1st as well as during Seollal. Restaurants serve special New Year set menus, and Western-style cakes, champagne, and pub-style meals are popular for social gatherings. Street vendors near sunrise-viewing spots sell hot fish cake soup (eomuktang) and hotteok (sweet filled pancakes).

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