Seollal is Korea's lunar new year, falling between late January and mid-February. It disrupts shipping in the same way as Chuseok but arrives at a worse moment for buyers, because it often lands close to season greetings deliveries and Valentine's shipping deadlines.
The shutdown pattern
Three official holiday days, with courier networks effectively down for four to five days and a backlog running three to four days afterward. Manufacturing and fulfillment centers frequently extend to a full week. Warehouses in the Seoul area typically resume normal outbound one to two business days after the holiday ends. Online stores keep accepting orders throughout and simply queue them, so a confirmation email during the holiday does not mean anything has moved.
Why it hurts more than Chuseok for overseas buyers
Seollal sits between two things fans care about: December season sets that are still trickling out and February gift deadlines. A box held at a Korean warehouse over the holiday can miss a US Valentine's delivery date entirely, since a one-week Korean delay plus five to eight days of transit runs the timeline past the middle of February.
Safe ordering windows
Have everything at the warehouse and dispatched by roughly seven days before the holiday starts. If your goods land during the closure, plan for arrival two to three weeks out rather than paying for expedited service you will not benefit from. The first three working days after the holiday are the worst time to dispatch.
Winter weather stacks on top
Late January and early February also bring the highest chance of weather-related air delays through northern-hemisphere hubs. Combined with the holiday backlog, mid-February is realistically the slowest two-week stretch of the year for Korea to US shipping. Snow and fog events at northern hubs commonly add one to three days in this window, and a rebooked flight adds more when cargo capacity is already tight. Padding any February estimate by a week is realistic rather than pessimistic.
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Start a buy-for-me order →Frequently asked
Is Seollal the same date every year?
No, it follows the lunar calendar and moves between roughly January 21 and February 20. Confirm the year's dates in December if you have anything time-sensitive.
Do stores run sales around Seollal?
Yes, mostly on gift sets and traditional food items in the run-up, and clearance afterward. The post-holiday clearance is genuinely good but ships into the backlog.
Can I have my package held until after the holiday?
Usually yes, and it is often the better choice. A box sitting safely in a warehouse is preferable to one stuck in a courier depot.