7월에 헌법 기념일이 공휴일로 복원되면서 유난히 긴 연휴가 생겼습니다.

Constitution Day on July 17 will be reinstated as a national holiday, following a revision to the relevant law on Thursday. This brings the total number of official non-working days in 2026 from 118 to 119, with the new holiday falling on a Friday, creating a long weekend for many workers.

Lawmakers on Thursday passed a revision to the Act on Public Holidays during a regular parliamentary session. It is now pending approval at a Cabinet meeting. Once in effect, Constitution Day -- which commemorates the promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea in 1948 -- will again be recognized as a national holiday. This status is shared by Independence Movement Day on March 1, National Liberation Day on Aug. 15, National Foundation Day on Oct. 3 and Hangul Day on Oct. 9.

Constitution Day had been observed as a national holiday until 2008, when it was removed from the official holiday calendar amid concerns over increased labor costs for companies following the introduction of the five-day workweek in 2004.

Calls to restore the status of the holiday have grown in recent years, with the debate gaining momentum after President Lee Jae Myung raised the issue at a meeting of senior secretaries on July 17 last year

목요일 관련 법률 개정에 따라 7월 17일 헌법기념일이 다시 국경일로 지정됩니다. 이로써 2026년 공휴일 수는 118일에서 119일로 늘어나게 되며, 새로 추가된 공휴일이 금요일이 되어 많은 직장인들에게 긴 연휴를 선사할 예정입니다.

국회는 목요일 정기 국회 회의에서 공휴일법 개정안을 통과시켰으며, 현재 각료회의 승인을 기다리고 있습니다. 개정안이 발효되면 1948년 대한민국 헌법 공포를 기념하는 헌법기념일이 다시 국경일로 지정됩니다. 3월 1일 독립기념일, 8월 15일 광복절, 10월 3일 개천절, 10월 9일 한글날과 마찬가지로 헌법 제정일은 국경일로 지정되어 있습니다.

헌법 제정일은 2004년 주 5일 근무제 도입 이후 기업의 인건비 상승에 대한 우려로 2008년까지 공휴일로 지정되어 있다가 공휴일 목록에서 제외되었습니다.

최근 헌법 제정일 복원을 요구하는 목소리가 높아지고 있으며, 특히 이재명 대통령이 지난해 7월 17일 고위 각료회의에서 이 문제를 제기한 이후 논의가 더욱 활발해지고 있습니다.