As the three-day holiday surrounding Liberation Day approaches, there is growing interest in whether highway tolls will be waived. As of August 9, no announcement has been made regarding the exemption of tolls on highways nationwide during the Liberation Day holiday.
This year, Liberation Day falls on Saturday, August 15, with Monday, August 17, designated as a substitute holiday, creating a three-day break from the 15th to the 17th.
However, just because the holiday spans three days does not mean that highway tolls will automatically be waived.
The current enforcement decree of the Toll Road Act specifies that toll exemptions apply only on the day before, the day of, and the day after the Lunar New Year and Chuseok. Other days may be designated for toll exemptions through a separate government decision following a cabinet meeting.
Unlike the Lunar New Year and Chuseok, Liberation Day is not listed as a toll exemption day in the law. Therefore, unless there is a specific government decision, regular vehicles will be required to pay the usual tolls.
The same applies to substitute holidays. The mere designation of a substitute holiday does not automatically make highway tolls free.
Some vehicles may still benefit from existing discount programs. For instance, small cars receive a 50% discount on highway tolls, and electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are also eligible for toll discounts this year.
Additionally, vehicles belonging to multi-child families may receive discounts on weekend and holiday highway tolls if they meet certain criteria.
As it stands, regular vehicles using highways during this three-day Liberation Day holiday will need to pay the standard tolls. However, there remains a possibility that the government may announce separate toll exemption measures before the holiday, so it is advisable to check for any related announcements before traveling.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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