There is no official summer holiday in Korea, yet a large share of small businesses, workshops and warehouses close for a week in late July or early August. Because it is not on any public calendar, overseas buyers experience it as an unexplained delay in the middle of summer.
When it happens and who closes
The concentrated period runs from roughly the last week of July into the first week of August. Small manufacturers, made-to-order workshops, independent brands and family-run businesses are the most likely to close entirely for five to seven days. Large e-commerce platforms and major logistics operators keep running with reduced staffing. There is no single national date, so two sellers in the same city may close in different weeks, which is why the delay feels random rather than seasonal.
What you actually see as a buyer
An order confirmation followed by no dispatch notification for a week, often with no notice posted in English. Customer service response times stretch from one day to four or five. Made-to-order items such as custom apparel and craft goods can slip two weeks rather than one, because production restarts with a backlog.
Which purchases are most affected
Independent fashion brands, ceramics and craft studios, custom stationery, and anything described as produced after order. K-pop merch from major retailers is largely unaffected. If your cart mixes both, the small-brand item will hold up the entire consolidated box. Ceramics studios, leather workshops and print shops most often add a full extra week, because production restarts with a queue rather than at normal speed. Anything described as handmade should be assumed to be affected.
Working around it
Order small-brand and made-to-order items by mid-July or wait until the second week of August. If something is already in progress, consider dispatching the rest of your box rather than holding everything for one delayed item, since a second small shipment often costs less than three weeks of waiting is worth. Splitting a shipment costs roughly 15 to 20 USD more than consolidating, which is often the right trade when the alternative is holding everything into late August.
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Start a buy-for-me order →Frequently asked
Is this the same as the golden week concept?
No. Korea has no official summer week off. This is a customary business practice rather than a public holiday, which is exactly why it is invisible to buyers planning from abroad.
Do warehouses stop receiving packages?
Major forwarding warehouses keep receiving, though processing can slow by a day or two. The delay is mostly upstream at the seller.
Will a seller tell me they are closed?
Usually via a Korean-language notice on their store page. Checking the store's notice board before ordering in late July is worth the thirty seconds.