Return home on the morning of the 16th, return trip on the afternoon of the 18th... Avoid driving during the Chuseok holiday

Average Daily Movement of 6.16 Million... Travel Up 23.8%
Nationwide Expressway Tolls Waived from 15th to 18th

During this year's Chuseok holiday period, highway congestion is expected to be the worst on the morning of the 16th, the day before Chuseok, for outbound traffic, and on the afternoon of the 18th for return traffic. Toll fees on nationwide highways will be waived from the 15th to the 18th.

Traffic congestion at the entrance ramp to Yongin IC on the Yeongdong Expressway in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province, on the first day of last year's Chuseok holiday / Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 11th, a special traffic plan will be implemented jointly with related agencies from the 13th to the 18th to accommodate the Chuseok holiday.

According to prediction surveys by the Korea Transport Institute and Korea Expressway Corporation, the total number of travelers during the plan period is estimated at 36.95 million, with a daily average of 6.16 million. On Chuseok day, the 17th, up to 6.86 million people are expected to travel. Compared to last year's Chuseok holiday, the number of travelers has decreased by 9.4%, while the daily average travel has increased by 5.7%. The average daily number of vehicles using highways during this period is expected to rise by 6.6% from last year to 5.91 million.

The majority of travelers will use passenger cars (88.4%), followed by buses (4.9%), railways (3.6%), aviation (2.7%), and maritime transport (0.4%). It was found that 23.8% of the population plans to travel during the Chuseok holiday, with 88.6% of those trips being domestic and 11.4% overseas.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained that based on traffic demand forecasts, traffic measures have been prepared focusing on five major tasks: facilitating smooth vehicle flow, enhancing convenience for outbound, return, and travelers, expanding public transportation capacity, strengthening traffic safety and quarantine management, and preparing for accidents and adverse weather conditions.

Toll fees on highways will be waived for four days before and after Chuseok (the 15th to the 18th), and fares for KTX and SRT return trips will be discounted by 30-40%. To accommodate the increase in users, the number of bus and railway operations and seats will be increased by 14.3% (17,390 trips) and 12.4% (about 1.14 million seats), respectively, compared to usual. On the 17th and 18th, Seoul subway and buses will operate extended late-night services.

Um Jeong-hee, Director of the Transportation and Logistics Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, urged, "For a safe and convenient outbound, return, and travel journey for everyone, please comply with traffic laws and drive safely." She added, "For those traveling by passenger car, please check traffic information before departure to avoid peak congestion times, and also check real-time traffic conditions provided on electronic signboards during travel."