Labor Day officially designated as national holiday

Officials from a labor union of public servants cheer after the National Assembly passes a bill designating Labor Day as a national holiday in Seoul, March 31. Yonhap

The Cabinet on Monday approved revised legislation designating Labor Day as an official public holiday, allowing all workers to take the day off this year.

Until now, only private-sector workers had been guaranteed a paid day off on May 1, while public servants, teachers and others in special employment arrangements, such as delivery workers, had to show up for work.

The Cabinet approval comes after the National Assembly last month passed a revision to the Act on Public Holidays to make May 1 a national holiday.

South Korea had initially observed Labor Day on May 1 before it was renamed "Workers' Day" in 1963 when a relevant law was enacted. Workers' Day become a paid holiday for most workers in 1994.

Last October, the National Assembly passed a bill to restore the name to Labor Day as part of broader efforts to ensure the holiday for all workers.