Traffic on Major Expressways Eases on Final Day of Holiday

Heavy traffic congests the Gyeongbu Expressway in southern Seoul on Oct. 2, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)

SEOUL, Oct. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Traffic on major expressways across South Korea remained relatively light Tuesday, the final day of the extended Chuseok holiday, as many families returned home after visiting their hometowns.

As of 9 a.m., the estimated travel time to Seoul from Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of the capital, was 4 hours and 30 minutes, the Korea Expressway Corp. said, after heavy holiday traffic mostly eased late Monday.

From the southeastern city of Ulsan, the estimated travel time was 4 hours and 10 minutes. Trips from Gangneung, 163 kilometers east of Seoul, took around 2 hours and 40 minutes, it said.

The estimated travel times in the opposite direction were similar, with some 4.29 million vehicles expected to travel on expressways nationwide Tuesday, according to the Korea Expressway.

This year’s Chuseok, the Korean fall harvest celebration, fell on Friday, and the holiday runs from Thursday through Tuesday when the country marks National Foundation Day.

(Yonhap)