"Chuseok Holiday Highways, Most Congested on Morning of 28th for Outbound and Afternoon of 30th for Return"

40.22 Million Expected to Travel During Holiday... 92% by Passenger Cars
Increased Operation Frequency and Toll Exemption During Special Traffic Measures Period

During this year's Chuseok holiday period, highway congestion is expected to be worst on the morning of the day before Chuseok, September 28, for outbound traffic, and on the afternoon of the day after Chuseok, September 30, for return traffic. The maximum travel time for outbound trips is anticipated to be 10 hours and 40 minutes from Seoul to Mokpo, and for return trips, 8 hours and 40 minutes from Busan to Seoul. Toll fees will be waived on all highways for four days around Chuseok, from September 28 to October 1.

Vehicles are moving slowly in the direction of Busan on the Gyeongbu Expressway. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 25th that during the special traffic control period for this Chuseok holiday (September 27 to October 3), an average of 5.75 million people per day and a total of 40.22 million people over five days are expected to travel.

In particular, on Chuseok day itself, the highest number of travelers during the holiday period is predicted to be 9.53 million. With the holiday period extended, the ministry expects the average daily number of travelers to decrease by 9.4% compared to last year (6.35 million), while the total number of travelers is expected to increase by 26.7%.

Highway traffic volume is projected to average 5.31 million vehicles per day, with approximately 9 out of 10 travelers using passenger cars. By mode of transportation, passenger cars account for 92.0%, buses 3.1%, railways 3.0%, and air and maritime transport 1.5% and 0.4%, respectively.

For outbound travel, 24.8% of respondents indicated they plan to depart on the morning of September 28, the day before Chuseok. For return travel, the preferred times were the afternoon of September 30 at 21.5%, followed by the afternoon of September 31 at 20.1%. For travel purposes, 18.4% responded that they would depart on the morning of September 30.

When using highways by passenger car, travel times between cities for both outbound and return trips are expected to increase by up to 10 minutes compared to the previous year.

Specifically, outbound travel times are expected to be ▲Seoul→Daejeon 5 hours 20 minutes ▲Seoul→Busan 10 hours 10 minutes ▲Seoul→Gwangju 8 hours 55 minutes ▲Seoul→Mokpo 10 hours 40 minutes ▲Seoul→Gangneung 6 hours 50 minutes. Return travel times are ▲Daejeon→Seoul 4 hours 10 minutes ▲Busan→Seoul 8 hours 40 minutes ▲Gwangju→Seoul 6 hours 35 minutes ▲Mokpo→Seoul 6 hours 55 minutes ▲Gangneung→Seoul 4 hours 20 minutes.

Highway route usage rates are highest on the Gyeongbu Line at 24.6%, followed by the Seohaean Line at 12.1%, Honam Line (Nonsan~Cheonan) at 9.8%, and Jungbu Line (Tongyeong~Daejeon) at 8.2%.

Distribution of Departure Dates for Returning Home, Traveling, and Returning from Trips During the Chuseok Holiday / Image provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

The government plans to increase the number of express bus operations by 8,442 trips during this special traffic control period. Rail, air, and maritime transport will also increase by 224, 1,255, and 509 trips respectively to enhance transportation capacity.

To facilitate smooth vehicle flow, two sections totaling 1.4 km will be temporarily opened: the Asan~Cheonan section of the Dangjin-Cheongju Expressway (20.6 km) and the Dodang~Hwaseong section of National Road No. 36 (0.7 km). Additionally, 10 regular shoulder lanes across 47 sections (255 km), and temporary passenger car-only shoulder lanes and deceleration lanes on 10 routes covering 24 sections (60 km) will be operated. A total of 110 highway sections and 17 national road sections expected to experience heavy congestion will be intensively managed. Information on designated detour routes will be provided via road electronic signboards.

Convenience facilities for highway users will also be expanded. At major rest areas and drowsiness relief zones, 291 additional urinals and 503 additional women's restroom stalls will be added. To combat hidden camera installations, 268 detectors will be deployed to strengthen monitoring in vulnerable areas.

Furthermore, toll fees will be waived for all vehicles using the highway even briefly during the four-day Chuseok holiday period (September 28 to October 1).

For Hi-Pass lane users, if the device is installed and powered on when passing through, an announcement stating "Toll fee 0 won has been processed successfully" will be made. For general lanes, drivers will receive a toll ticket upon entering the highway as usual, and upon submitting the ticket at the exit tollgate, the toll will be immediately waived.

Lee Yoon-sang, Director of the Transportation and Logistics Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "For everyone’s safe and convenient outbound and return trips, please comply with traffic laws and drive safely. For those traveling by private car, we recommend checking traffic information in advance before departure to avoid peak congestion times."

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