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Traffic on Korean highways remains smooth Wednesday morning despite some holiday congestion

Published: 08 Oct. 2025, 13:57

Vehicles crawl along the northbound lane, pictured left, and southbound lane of the Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon Interchange in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Oct. 7. [NEWS1]

Traffic on Korea’s highways moved largely smoothly on Wednesday morning, the sixth day of the Chuseok holiday, though some sections slowed as travelers returned home or headed out for day trips.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC), as of 8 a.m., estimated travel times by passenger car from major cities to Seoul were 6 hours 50 minutes from Busan; 5 hours 50 minutes from Mokpo, South Jeolla, and Ulsan; 4 hours 40 minutes from Daegu; 3 hours 50 minutes from Gwangju; 2 hours 40 minutes from Gangneung in Gangwon and 1 hour 48 minutes from Daejeon.

In the opposite direction, travel times from Seoul to each city were 5 hours to Busan and Ulsan; 4 hours 20 minutes to Daegu; 3 hours 50 minutes to Gangneung; 3 hours 49 minutes to Mokpo; 3 hours 21 minutes to Gwangju and 1 hour 40 minutes to Daejeon.

On the Seohaean Expressway toward Seoul, traffic slowed over a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) stretch near Gunsan Service Area and Dongseocheon Interchange. On the Gyeongbu Expressway heading north, congestion was reported near Sintanjin Interchange and between Banpo and Hannam interchanges approaching Seoul.

Southbound traffic also saw slower movement between Hannam and Seocho Interchanges, Yeongdong Interchange and Hwanggan Service Area, and around Seoul-san Interchange. Aside from these sections, traffic on the Gyeongbu, Jungbu, Yeongdong and Seoul Ring expressways remained largely smooth.

The KEC projected that congestion on roads leading to Seoul, which began around 7 to 8 a.m., would peak between 5 and 6 p.m. and ease by 1 to 2 a.m. Thursday. Southbound congestion was expected to build between 9 and 10 a.m., peak from noon to 1 p.m., and clear between 7 and 8 p.m.

The agency estimated total nationwide traffic volume for the day at 5.46 million vehicles, including 320,000 heading to the greater Seoul area and 330,000 leaving it.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]