Heavy expressway traffic hits South Korea as Chuseok holiday travel begins

Wednesday marked the start of the Chuseok holiday travel surge, with South Koreans heading to hometowns for family gatherings. Korea Expressway Corp. predicts a total of 6.13 million vehicles on the roads that day, including roughly 510,000 departing Seoul and 450,000 returning. The agency estimates a Seoul-to-Busan drive of about seven hours and thirty minutes, a Seoul-to-Gwangju trip of six hours and fifty minutes, and a Seoul-to-Gangneung journey of three hours and twenty minutes.

Expressway congestion is expected to persist through Thursday, and the nationwide movement will also pressure railway stations and airports. The holiday runs from Thursday to Sunday, extending the period of heavy travel across the country.