On January 29, during Seollal, the southbound lane of the Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon IC in Seocho-gu, Seoul, experienced congestion. /Photo by Newsis
[Financial News] During the seven-day Chuseok holiday from October 3, the National Foundation Day, to October 9, Korean Alphabet Day, vehicle congestion is expected to peak on Chuseok Day (October 6). Traffic is predicted to return to normal levels starting the afternoon of Wednesday, the 8th.
On the 29th, TMAP Mobility and SK Telecom announced the estimated travel times by day and time for major areas based on past TMAP mobility data during holidays.
According to estimates, traffic for those traveling to their hometowns is anticipated to be the most congested on October 4 and 6. For instance, a trip from Seoul to Gangneung at 11 AM on the 4th might take approximately 3 hours and 43 minutes, while a trip from Seoul to Gwangju at 3 PM might take around 4 hours and 43 minutes.
Traffic is expected to reach its peak on Chuseok Day. As late departures for hometowns and early returns to cities converge, congestion will gradually increase from 8 AM, becoming most severe around noon. On this day, a journey from Seoul to Busan at noon could take up to 6 hours and 41 minutes, while the trip from Seoul to Daejeon could take about 3 hours and 20 minutes.
During the holiday period, the time for a smooth trip to hometowns is predicted to be in the early morning hours (midnight to 4 AM) of the 3rd. During this window, it is estimated to take 4 hours and 22 minutes from Seoul to Busan, 3 hours and 10 minutes to Gwangju, 2 hours and 34 minutes to Gangneung, and about 2 hours to Daejeon.
Return traffic on Chuseok Day, the 6th, is expected to peak around noon. If departing at 11 AM, it could take up to 7 hours and 50 minutes from Busan to Seoul, while departing at 1 PM, the journey from Gwangju to Seoul could take 6 hours and 24 minutes, and from Gangneung to Seoul, it could take 4 hours and 1 minute.
Traffic volume is expected to return to normal levels from the afternoon of the 8th.