Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Final Day of Chuseok Sees Heavy Highway Traffic and Long Drives to Seoul

KEC expects an inbound peak around 4–5 p.m. followed by easing late tonight.

Overview

  • The Korea Expressway Corp. projected 5.13 million vehicles on the roads Thursday, including about 400,000 leaving the Seoul area and 390,000 returning.
  • As of 5 p.m., estimated drives to Seoul were 5 hours 10 minutes from Busan, 4 hours 40 minutes from Gwangju, and over three hours from Gangneung.
  • Homebound congestion was expected to crest in the late afternoon and start clearing between 10 and 11 p.m.
  • Backups persisted at chokepoints such as the Gyeongbu near the Seocho and Banpo interchanges and a 6.5-kilometer stretch on the Seohaean near Seopyeongtaek.
  • Many other expressway sections, including parts of the Gyeongbu, Jungbu, Yeongdong and Seoul Ring routes, moved relatively smoothly with outbound flows generally lighter.