Why May Feels So Expensive in Korea – Holidays, Family Month, and Hidden Costs

In Korea, May is often called Family Month. It sounds warm and meaningful, but for many Koreans, May can also feel surprisingly busy and expensive. Children’s Day, Parents’ Day, Teachers’ Day, travel plans, family gatherings, and even tax filing season all come together in the same month.

⚡ The Short Answer

May in Korea is called Family Month because several meaningful days are concentrated in this period, including Children’s Day, Parents’ Day, and Teachers’ Day. However, these events often bring extra spending, busy schedules, and emotional pressure around family and social relationships. On top of that, May is also the month for comprehensive income tax filing, which makes it feel even more stressful for freelancers and self-employed workers.

1. So Many Important Days Are Packed into May

May has more special days than many people expect. Some are official public holidays, while others are not holidays but still carry social or cultural meaning.

• May 1: Labor Day / Workers’ Day — not a legal public holiday, but a paid holiday for many workers under Korean labor law
• May 5: Children’s Day — a public holiday
• May 8: Parents’ Day
• May 15: Teachers’ Day
• The third Monday of May: Coming-of-Age Day
• Buddha’s Birthday — based on the lunar calendar and observed as a public holiday

Because so many meaningful days fall within a short period, May often feels packed with plans and expectations. It is also a popular season for weddings because the weather is usually mild and pleasant.

Labor Day in Korea can be confusing for foreign readers because it is not a legal public holiday. Many regular employees may have the day off as a paid holiday, but public offices and schools generally operate as usual. However, some schools may designate a discretionary school holiday, meaning the school decides to close for its own schedule.

Depending on how Labor Day, Children’s Day, and weekends fall in a particular year, some people use one or two vacation days to create a short holiday break. During this period, family trips, short getaways, and outdoor activities often increase, which naturally leads to more spending on travel, food, and accommodation.

Coming-of-Age Day is also part of May’s cultural calendar. It celebrates young adults who have reached the age of adulthood, and gifts such as roses or perfume are traditionally associated with the day. For some families or couples, this can become another occasion that requires preparation and spending.

Buddha’s Birthday is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates the birth of Buddha, and in Korea it is observed as a public holiday. Around this time, temple visits, lantern events, and other cultural activities may take place, adding another layer of movement and scheduling to the month.

When all of these events are gathered into one month, May can easily become a busy season. For some people, every week seems to bring another plan, another gift, or another social obligation.

2. Spending Naturally Increases in May

When there are many special days, spending tends to increase naturally. Families may prepare gifts for parents, plan outings for children, send messages or small tokens of appreciation to teachers, or attend weddings and give congratulatory money.

• Gifts for parents
• Meals, outings, or activities for children
• Messages or expressions of thanks for Teachers’ Day
• Wedding gifts or congratulatory money

In addition, May is also the period for comprehensive income tax filing in Korea, usually from May 1 to May 31. For freelancers, self-employed workers, and small business owners, this means organizing income, expenses, and tax payments for the previous year. Many people file through the National Tax Service’s Hometax system.

This can create both financial pressure and mental stress. Even if someone is not spending money on gifts or travel, the process of reviewing income and paying taxes can make May feel heavy.

The early May holiday season can also add extra costs. Travel, accommodation, eating out, and family activities often become more expensive or more frequent during this period. As a result, many Koreans remember May as one of the months when money seems to leave their wallets the fastest.

3. The Emotional Pressure of Taking Care of Relationships

The burden of May is not only about money. It is also about relationships. When many meaningful days arrive close together, people may feel pressure to express gratitude, remember everyone, and avoid disappointing someone.

• Who should I prepare something for?
• Did I forget anyone?
• Is a message enough, or should I send a gift?

Because of these thoughts, special days that are supposed to feel joyful can sometimes feel like obligations. The intention may be love and gratitude, but the process can still feel emotionally tiring.

Teachers’ Day is a good example of how Korean culture has changed. In the past, some families prepared gifts for schoolteachers. However, after the enforcement of Korea’s anti-graft law, schools commonly inform families not to send gifts, and material gifts to schoolteachers are generally avoided.

Instead, appreciation is often expressed through letters, cards, or simple messages. Some families may still send small gifts, text messages, or mobile gift coupons to private academy teachers, because private academies are outside the regular school setting. The form has changed, but the feeling of wanting to show appreciation still remains.

In this way, May can bring a quiet kind of emotional fatigue. People may not be forced to do anything, but they still feel the social weight of remembering, thanking, and caring for others.

4. Why Do Koreans Care So Much About These Days?

To understand why May feels so important in Korea, it helps to look at Korean culture more broadly. Korean society has long placed a strong value on family, respect, gratitude, and maintaining relationships.

Respect for parents and elders has been treated as an important virtue, and expressing gratitude to teachers or people who have guided us has also been considered meaningful. This is why many May events are not seen merely as calendar dates. They are often understood as opportunities to express relationships.

Of course, not every family celebrates these days in the same way. Some people prepare gifts, some share a meal, and others simply send a message. But even when the form is simple, many people still feel that May is a month when relationships need attention.

Final Thoughts

May in Korea is certainly a warm and meaningful month. It is filled with days that remind people of children, parents, teachers, young adults, faith, family, and gratitude.

At the same time, it is natural that many people feel burdened by the cost, the schedules, and the emotional pressure that come with these events. Perhaps the important thing is not to celebrate everything perfectly, but to find a sincere way to express care within one’s own situation.

Up Next

If you are curious about how relationship-centered values developed in Korean culture and history, the next post continues with an overview of the Three Kingdoms period in Korea.

👉 Overview of the Three Kingdoms Period – Understanding the Flow of Ancient Korean States