Busan to Seoul 4 Hours 40 Minutes... Traffic Expected to Clear Around 9 PM

On the third day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 26th, cars are moving on the Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon IC in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the northbound (left) and southbound lanes. Korea Expressway Corporation predicted that the congestion toward Seoul would be the worst around 4 to 5 p.m. and would ease around 2 to 3 a.m. on the 27th.

On the afternoon of the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 27th, some sections of the nationwide expressways are experiencing congestion due to the final wave of returning travelers.

As of 5 p.m., the estimated travel times by passenger car from major cities to the Seoul Tollgate are: Busan 4 hours 40 minutes, Mokpo (to West Seoul) 3 hours 50 minutes, Gwangju 3 hours 50 minutes, Daegu 3 hours 50 minutes, Daejeon 2 hours 40 minutes, and Gangneung 3 hours.

As of 4:30 p.m., on the Seoul-bound Gyeongbu Expressway, traffic is congested over a total of 32 km, including the Cheongju Junction to near Oksan (13 km) and Biryong Junction to near Daejeon (6 km) sections.

Additionally, on the Seoul-bound Seohaean Expressway, vehicles are moving slowly over a total of 18 km, including the Dong Gunsan to near Gunsan (6 km) and Songak to Seohae Bridge (6 km) sections. On the Incheon-bound Yeongdong Expressway, traffic is slow over a total of 14 km, including near Bongpyeong Tunnel to Dunnae Tunnel (8 km).

At the same time, expressways heading from Seoul to the provinces are expected to have mostly smooth traffic flow.

The total traffic volume on nationwide expressways today is expected to be 3.56 million vehicles, with 290,000 vehicles traveling from the metropolitan area to the provinces and 420,000 vehicles traveling from the provinces to the metropolitan area.

Rain and strong winds are occurring in various parts of the country. In areas with rain, visibility may be low and roads slippery, so caution is advised for traffic safety.

A Korea Expressway Corporation official stated, "The congestion on the return route peaked around 3 to 4 p.m. and is gradually easing, with full clearance expected around 9 to 10 p.m."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.