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Highways nationwide congested amid extended Chuseok holiday

Published: 05 Oct. 2025, 10:45

Cars are stuck on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Seoul on Oct. 3, the first day of the extended Chuseok holiday. [YONHAP]

Heavy traffic began to build on major roads and highways across Korea on Sunday as people headed to their hometowns for family reunions a day ahead of Chuseok.

Chuseok falls on Monday, but the public is enjoying an extended holiday from Friday to Thursday, as the harvest festival falls between National Foundation Day and Hangul Day, which marks the creation of the Korean alphabet.

Traditionally, Koreans return to their hometowns to spend time with family and pay respects at ancestral altars and graves.

As of 8 a.m., travel times were estimated at seven and a half hours from Seoul to the southeastern city of Busan, six hours and 20 minutes to the southeastern city of Daegu and three hours and 20 minutes to the central city of Daejeon, according to the Korea Expressway Corp. (KEC).

The KEC said outbound traffic from Seoul was expected to peak around noon and ease between 8 and 9 p.m.

A total of 5.75 million vehicles were forecast nationwide Sunday, including 470,000 departing the Seoul metropolitan area for other provinces and 460,000 heading toward Seoul from other regions.

Yonhap