'I can’t even use the holidays I have': Extra Lunar New Year vacation at conglomerates leaves small businesses disgruntled

A family on board the high-speed KTX train waves to the camera during the 2024 Lunar New Year. [NEWS1]

 
Wages are not the only benefit separating big businesses from small- and medium-sized enterprises: Many major Korean firms are giving workers Jan. 31 off, extending their Lunar New Year break to nine consecutive days.  
 
Other companies, including Samsung Electronics, have recommended that employees take the day off.
 
The government’s decision to designate Jan. 27 — the day before the three-day Lunar New Year break — as a temporary public holiday extended the official break to six consecutive days, from Saturday, Jan. 25, to Thursday, Jan. 30. The lack of a holiday on Jan. 31 was the only obstacle to a nine-day break, but major Korean companies have already announced plans to rectify that situation.
 
Hyundai Motor, LG Electronics, Hanwha Solutions, Korean Air, LS Group and Doosan Enerbility are among the major firms that have officially designated Jan. 31 as a companywide holiday, according to the JoongAng Ilbo’s research. Hyundai Motor and LG Electronics, in particular, had made both Jan. 27 and Jan. 31 companywide holidays even before the government’s Tuesday announcement. CJ Cheiljedang had also made Jan. 27 a companywide holiday prior to the official designation.
 
Korean Air also announced internally that it would designate May 3 and Oct. 10 as holidays. May 3 is the Friday before Children’s Day and Buddha’s Birthday while Oct. 10 is right after the Chuseok harvest festival.
 
Samsung Electronics, Lotte Shopping, GS Caltex, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, CJ Cheiljedang and Shinsegae Department Store meanwhile have “recommended” that employees take Jan. 31 off.
 
“We have been recommending employees ask for days off whenever there is a working day gap between holidays and weekends,” a person related to Samsung Electronics said. 


But employees of small- and medium-sized enterprises, which account for 89 percent of total jobs according to Statistics Korea, may find it difficult to relate to the trend.
 
“When big businesses consider spending holidays as a means of employee benefits, small- and medium-sized enterprises cannot do the same thing,” Incruit said. 
 
“It is very likely that many of those who work in the small- and medium-sized enterprises won’t be able to" take Friday off, according to the recruitment company.
 
“I can’t even use the holidays I have, so I can’t even dream about taking Jan. 31, off,” said Kim, a 43-year-old employee of such a firm. “I have to work on Jan. 31 to do monthly balances and closing adjustments.” 
 

BY KIM KI-HWAN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]