Expressway Congestion on First Day of Hangul Day Holiday; Seoul to Busan: 7 Hours 40 Minutes

Traffic heading toward Seoul will be heaviest between 6 and 7 p.m.
Traffic on roads in Seoul is moving smoothly

Traffic congestion is building on major expressways across the country as travelers head out on the first day of the three-day Hangul Day holiday on Friday, Oct. 9.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 9 a.m. on Friday, estimated travel times from the Seoul Tollgate to major cities nationwide were 7 hours 40 minutes to Busan, 7 hours 20 minutes to Ulsan, 6 hours 40 minutes to Daegu, 6 hours 20 minutes to Mokpo, 5 hours 30 minutes to Gwangju, 4 hours 50 minutes to Gangneung and 3 hours 50 minutes to Daejeon.

Vehicles are moving slowly on the northbound lanes of the Gyeongbu Expressway near Seocho IC in Seoul. Not directly related to the article. Yonhap News Agency.

Travel times from each city to Seoul were expected to be 5 hours 50 minutes from Busan, 5 hours 30 minutes from Ulsan, 4 hours 50 minutes from Daegu, 3 hours 50 minutes from Mokpo, 3 hours 40 minutes from Gwangju and 2 hours from Daejeon.

On the Busan-bound Gyeongbu Expressway, traffic is backed up along a 12-kilometer stretch from near the Gyeongbu Dongtan Tunnel to near Namsa, and a 25-kilometer stretch from Bukcheon-an to near Cheonan-Hodu Service Area.

Traffic is also moving slowly on the Yangyang-bound Seoul-Yangyang Expressway along a 17-kilometer stretch from Deokso-Sampae to Seojong and an 8-kilometer stretch from Dongsan Tollgate to Dongsan Tunnel 1. On the Mokpo-bound Seohaean Expressway, congestion has formed along a 16-kilometer stretch from Maesong to Balan and an 11-kilometer stretch from the Seopyeongtaek Junction to the Seohae Bridge.

Congestion on roads heading out of Seoul is expected to begin around 6 to 7 a.m. and peak between 10 a.m. and noon. Traffic is expected to ease gradually and clear around 7 to 8 p.m.

Traffic heading toward Seoul is expected to build from 9 to 10 a.m. and be heaviest around 6 to 7 p.m. The Korea Expressway Corporation expects congestion to clear around 9 to 10 p.m.

Unlike on the expressways, traffic on major roads in Seoul is relatively smooth. According to the Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service, no significant congestion was reported this morning on major roads, including Olympic-daero, Gangbyeonbuk-ro, Naebu Expressway, Dongbu Expressway, Seobu Expressway and Gangnam Sunhwan-ro.

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