The Money Deadline Is Friday, February 5! Seoul’s Open/Closed Map for Seollal 2027 [First Edition] — What Shuts and What Stays Open over the Feb 6–9 Long Weekend, the Free Palaces, and the 3 Things That Get Confirmed in January

If you’re planning Seoul for February 2027, there are three dates to learn first: Seollal is Sunday February 7, the holiday runs four days from Saturday February 6 to Tuesday February 9, and the last weekday the banks are open is Friday February 5.

Seollal is Korea’s biggest holiday alongside Chuseok, and everything ‘family-run’ closes at once — markets, independent restaurants, banks, government offices. Yet convenience stores and chains keep going, and the palaces actually become free. Knowing this two-layer structure is what turns a holiday trip from frustrating to fantastic.

This is the Seollal version of the Chuseok open/closed map we wrote in September 2026. The 2027 palace dates and KTX booking days aren’t announced yet, so the February 2026 record — palaces free Feb 14–18, KTX booking Jan 15–21, department stores closed two days — is here as the working forecast.

January is when it firms up: (1) free palace admission (Korea Heritage Service, usually late January), (2) KTX and SRT holiday booking dates (usually early to mid-January), (3) department store and supermarket closures (usually a week before the holiday). We’ll update to a second edition once those land — for now, use this first edition to lock in what to do by when.

Seollal Is Sunday, February 7, and the Break Is Feb 6–9! The 2027 Dates and How They Differ from 2026

✔ Friday Feb 5 is the last weekday; Wednesday Feb 10 is back to normal
Seollal (설날) 2027 falls on Sunday, February 7. Korea’s public holiday covers the day before, the day itself and the day after, so in 2027 that’s February 6 (Sat) to 8 (Mon). Because the day itself coincides with a Sunday, the rules add a substitute holiday on Tuesday, February 9. That makes a four-day break from Saturday to Tuesday; Friday Feb 5 is an ordinary workday, and from Wednesday Feb 10 the city is back to its usual rhythm.

Compare 2026: Seollal was Tuesday, February 17, the holiday ran Feb 16–18, and with the weekend before it became a five-day break from Feb 14 (Sat) to 18 (Wed). In 2027 the holiday eats into the weekend, so there are fewer weekday days off, and the Korean homecoming rush should concentrate on Friday evening Feb 5 through Saturday morning Feb 6. If you get caught in airport or expressway crowds, that’s the window.

The rule of thumb for Seoul’s streets: the day itself is quietest, the day before and after are about half, and a substitute holiday is close to a normal day off. In 2027 that means Feb 7 (Sun) sees the most closures, Feb 6 (Sat) and Feb 8 (Mon) come next, and many shops reopen on Feb 9 (Tue). The table in this article is built on that assumption.

Seoul open/closed map for Seollal week 2027 [first edition, based on the 2026 record]

Date	Day	Banks / exchange	Markets / family restaurants	Department stores	Palaces / convenience stores / malls
Feb 5	Fri	Last business day (money deadline)	Open	Open	Open
Feb 6	Sat	Closed	Some closed	Mostly open	Palaces likely free · convenience stores 24h
Feb 7	Sun (Seollal)	Closed	Almost all closed	Closed (day 1 of 2)	Palaces likely free · malls from noon
Feb 8	Mon	Closed	Closed to reopening	Closed (day 2) or reopening	Palaces likely free · open
Feb 9	Tue (substitute)	Closed	Reopening	Open	Palaces likely free · open
Feb 10	Wed	Reopen	Reopen	Open	Normal (watch for art museum closure)

Read next: The Chuseok edition is the template for this open/closed thinking — see 『The Deadline Is Wednesday 23 September! Chuseok in Seoul: What Closes, What Opens, and the Free Palaces』.

The Deadline Is Friday, February 5! Exchange Money Before the Banks Stop, and Wait for the January KTX Booking Dates

✔ Banks and official exchange counters close completely Feb 6 (Sat) to 9 (Tue)
Just like at Chuseok, the traveler’s most important deadline is money. Banks close on weekends and public holidays, so in 2027 there is no counter exchange for four days from Feb 6 (Sat) to 9 (Tue). If your itinerary needs cash, Friday Feb 5 is the last business day. ATMs keep running through the holiday (fees are charged per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts less often — see our guide to foreign cards and ATMs). Some private exchange booths in Myeongdong open during the holiday on irregular hours, and the bank counters at Incheon Airport stay open, so changing a minimum on arrival is your insurance.

The other deadline is holiday train booking on KTX and SRT. For Seollal 2026, KORAIL took priority reservations for seniors and people with disabilities on Jan 15–16, then general reservations on Jan 19–21 from 7 am to 1 pm, for trains running Feb 13–18. Online booking requires a membership account, so travelers without a Korean phone number are effectively shut out of the main round. What you aim for are the cancellations and general sales released after the reservation window — the same play as in our Chuseok train-ticket guide.

The 2027 dates haven’t been announced. They are usually posted three to four weeks before the holiday, so check the KORAIL and SRT sites in early to mid-January; this article will be updated to a second edition when they appear. Extra trains run during the holiday, so ‘couldn’t book, can’t travel’ almost never happens.

What Closes Is ‘Family-Run’! Markets, Independent Restaurants, Department Stores for Two Days, and Museums on the Day

✔ Markets and independent restaurants close 2–3 days around the day; banks, government offices and post offices for all four
What closes at Seollal is anywhere the family needs to gather. Traditional markets like Gwangjang and Namdaemun close for two or three days around the day itself (it varies by shop, and each market posts its schedule before the holiday), and family-run restaurants do the same. Banks, government offices and post offices stop entirely for the four days Feb 6–9. Put the other way round, almost everything outside ‘family-run’ keeps going.

Department stores customarily close for two days. In 2026, Shinsegae’s main store and Hyundai’s Apgujeong flagship closed Feb 17 (Tue, the day itself) and 18 (Wed), while most other branches including Lotte closed Feb 16 (Mon) and 17 (Tue) — dates split by branch. The premium outlets (Lotte, Shinsegae Simon, Hyundai) closed on the day, Costco closed on the day and shut at 7 pm the day before, and some Homeplus branches closed on the day too. For 2027, plan on ‘two days including Feb 7 (Sun)’, with branch-by-branch schedules announced about a week before.

The unexpected trap is museums. The National Museum of Korea closes on Seollal day (Feb 17 in 2026), and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) opened free during the holiday but then closed all branches on the first weekday after it (Thursday Feb 19 in 2026). For 2027, watch the museum on Feb 7 (Sun) and the art museum around Feb 10 (Wed); the confirmed dates will be added after the January notice.

Gyeongbokgung Is Free! What Stays Open and What Becomes Free — Convenience Stores, Malls, Palaces, the Subway

✔ Palaces, Jongmyo and the royal tombs are usually free for the whole holiday
Seollal’s best gift is the palaces. For five days from Feb 14 (Sat) to 18 (Wed) 2026, Seoul’s four grand palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon royal tombs were free. Gyeongbokgung waived its usual 3,000-won ticket, the changing of the guard ran daily at 10 am and 2 pm, and on Feb 16–18 there was a giveaway of ‘sehwa’ New Year good-luck prints, 1,000 per session, first come first served. Changdeokgung’s halls were free while the Secret Garden stayed a paid, reserved tour. For 2027 the likely window is Feb 6–9; the official notice usually comes in late January.

MMCA was also free Feb 16–18 in 2026, with the Seoul branch open until 9 pm on the 18th. Shopping malls open even on the day — Lotte Mall and Starfield opened at noon on Seollal 2026. Many E-mart branches opened 11 am–9 pm on the day, convenience stores run 24 hours, and cinemas, fast food and hotel restaurants keep normal hours. The tourist-facing shops in Myeongdong and Hongdae are almost all open, and with fewer Koreans around they’re easier to walk.

Transport doesn’t stop. The subway and buses run on holiday timetables throughout, and taxis are on the road. If something goes wrong, the emergency medical portal (e-gen.or.kr) lists on-duty hospitals and pharmacies, 129 is the health helpline, and 120 is Seoul’s multilingual city hotline. For getting around on holiday days, the thinking in our Chuseok open/closed map applies as is.

The 3 Things Confirmed in January — the Open/Closed Table and an Update Notice

In short, Seollal 2027 in Seoul is: exchange money by Friday Feb 5, spend Feb 6–9 on palaces, convenience stores and malls, and leave markets and independent restaurants for Feb 10 (Wed) onward. Three things get confirmed in January — (1) the official free-palace dates (Korea Heritage Service, usually late January), (2) KTX and SRT holiday booking days (usually early to mid-January), (3) branch-by-branch department store and supermarket closures (a week before) — and we’ll update to a second edition when they land. Ratings are Google Maps as of September 17, 2026.

• Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) — Google ★4.6 (46,890 reviews) · 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu · direct from Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3) · from 9:00 · closed Tuesdays · normally 3,000 won, usually free over the Seollal holiday (Feb 14–18 in 2026) · changing of the guard 10 am and 2 pm
• MMCA Seoul (국립현대미술관 서울) — Google ★4.6 (4,272 reviews) · 30 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu · about 10 min on foot from Gyeongbokgung Station · 10:00–18:00 · free Feb 16–18 during the 2026 holiday, closed Feb 19 right after

FAQ

When is Seollal 2027?

Sunday, February 7. The public holiday is February 6 (Sat) to 8 (Mon), and because it overlaps a Sunday a substitute holiday follows on the 9th (Tue) — effectively four days off, Feb 6–9. Wednesday Feb 10 is back to normal.

By when should I exchange money?

By Friday, February 5. Banks and official exchange counters close for four days, Feb 6–9. ATMs keep working, the bank counters at Incheon Airport operate through the holiday, and some private booths in Myeongdong open on irregular hours.

Are the palaces really free?

Usually, yes — the four grand palaces, Jongmyo and the royal tombs are free throughout the Seollal holiday. In 2026 it was Feb 14–18. The official 2027 notice usually comes in late January, and this article will be updated then.

Are department stores and supermarkets open?

Department stores usually close two days including Seollal day; in 2026 it was Feb 16–17 or Feb 17–18 depending on the branch. Many E-mart branches opened 11 am–9 pm on the day, Costco closed on the day, and Lotte Mall and Starfield opened at noon.

How do I book KTX?

In 2026, priority booking ran Jan 15–16 and general booking Jan 19–21 from 7 am to 1 pm, with a membership account required. The 2027 dates will be announced in January. Travelers without a Korean phone number should aim for cancellations and general sales after the booking window.