On the afternoon of September 24, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, traffic congestion on major highways across the country is easing. The congestion heading home is expected to mostly clear by around 8 to 9 p.m.
According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 3 p.m., travel times from the Seoul tollgate to various destinations are projected to take 6 hours to Busan, 5 hours and 40 minutes to Ulsan, 5 hours to Daegu, 4 hours and 50 minutes to Gwangju, 5 hours and 10 minutes to Mokpo, 4 hours to Gangneung, and 2 hours and 50 minutes to Daejeon.
Compared to noon, the estimated travel times to major destinations have decreased by approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes to a maximum of 2 hours.
At the same time, travel times from regional areas to Seoul are expected to take 4 hours and 30 minutes from Busan, 4 hours and 10 minutes from Ulsan, 3 hours and 30 minutes from Daegu, 3 hours and 20 minutes from Gwangju, 3 hours from Gangneung, and about 2 hours from Daejeon.
The congestion on major routes has also decreased since the morning. On the Gyeongbu Expressway heading to Busan, vehicles are moving slowly in sections near Bukcheonan to Oksan Junction (27 km) and from Okcheon to Geumgang (15 km).
On the Yeongdong Expressway towards Gangneung, congestion continues in areas from Dongdunnae Hi-Pass to Pyeongchang Rest Area (17 km) and from Hobuk Junction to Yeoju Junction (13 km). The West Coast Expressway towards Mokpo is also experiencing slow traffic in sections from Gwangcheon to Daecheon (15 km) and from Buan to Julpo (13 km).
Congestion heading towards Seoul peaked around 1 p.m. and is gradually easing, with expectations for it to clear by around 6 to 7 p.m.
The expressway corporation forecasts that 6.16 million vehicles will use the highways nationwide today, with an estimated 510,000 vehicles traveling from the capital region to the provinces and 380,000 vehicles making the reverse trip.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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