Chuseok Outbound Traffic Eases... Return Routes Remain Congested Through the Night

5 hours and 50 minutes from Busan to Seoul, 5 hours and 10 minutes from Gwangju to Seoul
Return Route Congestion Expected to Ease Around 2:00 to 3:00 AM on September 26
Nationwide Traffic Volume Reaches 6.84 Million Vehicles; Major Seoul Roads Also Congested

On the evening of Chuseok, September 25, traffic congestion on the roads heading out of Seoul has somewhat eased, but traffic jams persist in various places on the return routes toward the capital.

On the morning of the 25th, vehicles were congested on the southbound lanes of the Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon IC, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 7:00 p.m. that day, the estimated travel times from the Seoul Tollgate to major cities are as follows: 4 hours and 30 minutes to Busan, 4 hours and 10 minutes to Ulsan, 3 hours and 40 minutes to Mokpo, 3 hours and 30 minutes to Daegu, 3 hours and 20 minutes to Gwangju, 2 hours and 40 minutes to Gangneung, and 1 hour and 50 minutes to Daejeon.

Conversely, estimated travel times from these cities to Seoul are: 5 hours and 50 minutes from Busan, 5 hours and 30 minutes from Mokpo or Ulsan, 5 hours and 10 minutes from Gwangju, 4 hours and 50 minutes from Daegu, 3 hours and 20 minutes from Daejeon, and 3 hours from Gangneung.

On major expressways, congestion remains centered on the routes returning to Seoul. On the Seoul-bound Gyeongbu Expressway, traffic is slow for 7.5 kilometers near the Oksan Junction and for 11 kilometers near Hwalcheon–Gyeongju. On the Seoul-bound Seohaean Expressway, heavy congestion is observed for 13.93 kilometers near Seogimje IC and for 17 kilometers from Songak IC to Poseung JC.

In central Seoul, some major roads are also experiencing congestion in certain sections due to rain and increased traffic volume. Vehicles are moving slowly on some sections of Olympic Expressway, Gangbyeonbuk-ro, Bukbu-gansun Expressway, and Naebu-sunhwan Expressway.

The Expressway Corporation forecasts that outbound traffic congestion will ease around 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., while congestion on return routes to Seoul is expected to clear around 2:00 to 3:00 a.m. on September 26. Nationwide, the traffic volume is projected at approximately 6.84 million vehicles, with about 470,000 vehicles moving from the Seoul metropolitan area to the provinces and around 460,000 vehicles traveling from the provinces to the Seoul metropolitan area.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.