"The Return Trip on the 30th Afternoon and the Homecoming on the 1st and 3rd Afternoons Are the Most Congested"

Distribution of Departure Dates for the 2020 Chuseok Holiday (Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Traffic congestion during this Chuseok holiday is expected to be the worst on Chuseok day, October 1st. Those heading home for the holiday prefer to depart on the morning of September 30th, the day before Chuseok, while returnees favor the afternoon of October 1st and the afternoon of October 3rd as their preferred departure times.

According to the results of the 'Chuseok Holiday Travel Behavior Survey' conducted via smartphone by the Korea Transport Institute from September 25th to October 17th, targeting a total of 9,162 households, the total number of people traveling home or returning nationwide during this Chuseok holiday was estimated at 27.59 million.

On average, about 4.6 million people travel daily, with 6.18 million expected to travel on Chuseok day alone. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a 28.5% decrease compared to 6.43 million travelers on Chuseok day last year. However, it is still 55.9% higher than the usual daily average of 2.95 million.

Among all respondents, 42.8% planned to travel home or take a trip, which is a significant decrease compared to 69.7% who traveled home or took a trip last year.

However, the percentage of those who do not plan to travel home or take a trip increased by only 7.6 percentage points from 30.3% last year. The remaining 19.3% answered 'undecided' as of the survey date. The undecided rate, which was around 5% in previous years, has increased significantly.

Regarding reasons for not traveling home or being undecided, nearly half (48.2%) cited 'concerns about COVID-19.' Other reasons included 'living in hometown or no travel during holidays' (19.8%), 'traffic congestion' (10.6%), 'work (livelihood/studies)' (6.5%), 'financial burden' (5.0%), and 'reverse homecoming' (2.9%).

Infographic on 'Reasons for Not Returning Home or Being Undecided' During the 2020 Chuseok Holiday (Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

Respondents preferred to depart for home on the morning of September 30th (22.3%), and to return home on the afternoon of October 1st (18.7%) and the afternoon of October 3rd (20.1%). The Korea Transport Institute predicted that 25.8% of the total holiday traffic volume would be concentrated on October 1st, Chuseok day, when departures for homecoming, travel, and return all peak, resulting in the worst traffic congestion.

Regarding transportation modes during the holiday, private cars accounted for an overwhelming 91.4%. This was followed by buses at 5.7%, railways at 1.9%, air travel at 0.6%, and maritime transport at 0.4%.

Among those who wished to use private cars, 29.7% stated they would use a private car despite having alternative transportation options. The most common reason for not using alternative transportation was 'concerns about COVID-19,' accounting for 27.0%.

The highway expected to have the highest number of users during the Chuseok holiday is the Gyeongbu Expressway, with 25.3% planning to use it. This was followed by the Seohaean Expressway at 11.4%, Honam Expressway at 9.6%, and Jungbu Expressway at 7.1%.

Survey participants also strongly requested the government to establish robust quarantine measures. Regarding 'measures to focus on during the Chuseok holiday,' 55.5% selected 'quarantine activities and monitoring of social distancing in daily life, and other quarantine-related measures.'