Lunar New Year Holiday Highway Congestion... Busan to Seoul Takes 6 Hours 10 Minutes

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] From the morning of the 23rd, the return traffic procession continues, causing congestion on major highways across the country.

According to Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 9 a.m. today, the expected travel time from major cities nationwide to the Seoul tollgate for regular vehicles is 6 hours and 10 minutes from Busan. Additionally, it is 5 hours and 50 minutes from Ulsan, 5 hours and 10 minutes from Daegu, 4 hours and 40 minutes from Gwangju, 2 hours and 40 minutes from Gangneung, and 2 hours from Daejeon.

As of 8 a.m. today, on the Gyeongbu Expressway heading towards Seoul, a line of vehicles extends about 1 km near Oksan. On the Seohaean Expressway heading towards Seoul, congestion has appeared over a 9 km section from Dangjin to Seohaedaegyo Bridge.

The return direction started to experience congestion from 8 to 9 a.m., is expected to peak between 4 and 5 p.m., and to clear by 2 to 3 a.m. on the 24th. The outbound direction began to see congestion from 10 to 11 a.m. today, is expected to peak between 4 and 5 p.m., and to ease by 7 to 8 p.m.

The expected nationwide traffic volume today is about 5.13 million vehicles, with 380,000 moving from the metropolitan area to local regions and 510,000 moving from local regions to the metropolitan area.