Summer vacations are coming. Expect to feel frustrated when you first show up at your favorite spots and they are closed for summer vacation. It’s hard at first but when you understand the cultural standards the frustration gets easier. Let’s talk more about business summer vacations in South Korea so that you can go from upset to aware faster.
About Business Summer Vacations in Korea
Many family-owned businesses or small corporations take a summer vacation sometime between mid-July and the end of August. The timing coordinates with when kids are out of school and families have time together. This is an important business practice for supporting social and family health.
A few pro tips when to consider regarding summer vacations:
- Most business closures occur in the first week and second week of August.
- Businesses in more rural areas take more vacations than businesses in major cities like Busan and Seoul. If you travel beyond the cities expect to be more inconvenienced. If the restaurant you love is in the countryside, expect them to be on vacation in early August.
- Businesses you never thought would take summer vacations, may take summer vacations. For example: health clothing stores, health clinics, repair shops, car mechanics, auto bike shops, restaurants, cafes, etc.
The Culture Shock of Summer Vacation
For some international residents, the concept of business summer vacations does not exist and they may feel angry experiencing it. Some people may feel entitled to a business being open at all times for any reason due to the cultural business standards of their home countries.
In this situation, arriving in a country where many small businesses close to focus on family and self-care may feel unfair and alienating. Such feelings may be especially strong if the international resident has no knowledge of the new cultural standard. Such culture shock may turn into rage posting online and negative feelings toward South Korea because it did not meet the hidden expectations of the new resident.
South of Seoul volunteers have lived in both countries that take summer vacations and countries that do not. At first, we didn’t know what was happening during summer vacations either and felt angry. However, once we understood the cultural system we learned not to plan anything like trips to the mechanic or rural restaurants during August.
Additionally, Korea is known as a country that works too hard so many assume Koreans don’t take vacations. Although true in many ways, Korean culture does take breaks differently than other cultures might. For example, these summer small business owners overwork all year with 12-14 hour days 7 days a week and only have summer vacation to give them hope.
Checking Business Vacation Dates
Businesses may announce their vacation dates in the following ways:
- Update their Naver Maps listing
- A post or update on their Instagram account
- A note on their door or window (often short and post-it note size)
- A message was left on their business phone number (1330 can all the business to see if there are vacations dates on the answering machine)
- No announcement at all because they go on vacation every year at the same time and 99% of their customers already know
Keep in mind, that businesses may post in one but not all of the previously mentioned locations. Additionally, they may just not post at all because they go on vacation every year at the same time and the community already knows to expect it. They don’t realize new international residents in Korea don’t know about this social standard.
Tools for Learning About Business Summer Vacations in Korea
In order to search for information about summer vacations you can use two common tools:
- Screenshot Naver or Instagram account info and translate it through Papago to see if they mentioned vacation dates.
- Contact 1330 to see if they find information about summer vacation dates.
Managing the Emotions
If you can, take a moment to remember that everyone needs a vacation. Small and medium-sized companies in Korea work an excessive amount of hours throughout the year. They need and deserve to have time with their families to build memories. We realize you will want to yell about it first because it sucks, but then take a moment.
Remember, supporting healthy practices like closing for summer vacation helps support a healthy community, healthy families, improved mental health, and a better world for everyone. Feel your feelings of missing that business and see what they mean to you. Value them and what they bring to your life for the rest of the year. If you worked a ton you would feel you needed a vacation more than money at least once a year as well.
Supporting Healthy Vacation Practices
Taking the time to help support the communication between businesses and the international community improves everyone’s lives greatly.
After you have grieved your loss of not getting what you wanted, head to your nearest Facebook group (like Pyeongtaek Food & Fun or Pyeongtaek Living) related to your community and let other international residents know about the business vacation dates. This makes you a hero to the business you love and the community you live in.
Misunderstandings Because of Language Barrier
Many international residents think that their favorite business has closed permanently and announce it the business is closed online without double checking. This occurs because the “Closed for a Holiday” sign and posts online are in Korean. It’s important to give a business until the end of August before you sound the alarms that they have closed forever.
Join the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook Group
You are also welcome to join our Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook Group. The South of Seoul moderated community of active and friendly Pyeongtaek international residents makes moving to Pyeongtaek easier. With so many different voices and opinions, it is always refreshing to see everyone’s adventures in our local community. In addition, all of the posts shared introduce our community to new places and old places that can feel new all over again.
Volunteer with South of Seoul
Interested in working with a fun team of talented volunteers? The South of Seoul volunteer team is always looking for other like-minded folks to research information, compile blogs, and edit content.
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
