On the last day of the National Foundation Day holiday, heavy return traffic is building up on major highways heading toward Seoul. Congestion is expected to peak between 4 and 5 PM before easing late in the evening.
According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, approximately 5.09 million vehicles are expected to travel on highways nationwide today. An estimated 390,000 vehicles will head from the capital region to provincial areas, while 410,000 will make the return trip.
Traffic congestion toward Seoul began around 10-11 AM and is anticipated to reach its worst point between 4 and 5 PM. After that, traffic flow is expected to gradually improve, with congestion likely clearing around 10-11 PM. In contrast, highways leading from Seoul to provincial areas are expected to remain relatively smooth.
As of 9 AM, the estimated travel times to Seoul from various locations are as follows: 5 hours and 10 minutes from Busan, 4 hours and 50 minutes from Ulsan, and 4 hours and 10 minutes from both Mokpo and Daegu. Travel times are estimated at 3 hours and 30 minutes from Gwangju, 2 hours and 40 minutes from Gangneung, and 1 hour and 40 minutes from Daejeon.
As the day progresses, return traffic is expected to increase further. The expressway corporation predicts that the estimated travel time from Busan to Seoul will rise to 5 hours and 40 minutes by noon, which is 30 minutes longer than the estimate at 9 AM.
Today marks a designated substitute holiday as National Foundation Day coincides with Saturday. With the three-day holiday that began on October 3 coming to an end, many travelers are expected to return to the capital region, concentrating on highways leading to Seoul.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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