Severe Traffic Jam on Return Highway, Busan to Seoul Takes 6 Hours 24 Minutes

Relief Expected Between 11 PM and Midnight

On the afternoon of the fourth day of the Chuseok holiday, traffic congestion continues on major expressways as cars return home.

On the 27th, two days before Chuseok, the nation's biggest holiday, vehicles carrying returning holidaymakers are moving on the Seohaean Expressway as seen from the air. [Aerial photography cooperation=Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Aviation Unit, Pilots: Inspector Shin Seung-ho - Inspector Park Ji-hwan, Crew: Inspector Park Sang-jin] Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 1 p.m. on this day, the estimated travel times by passenger car from each city tollgate to the Seoul tollgate are 6 hours 24 minutes from Busan, 6 hours 4 minutes from Ulsan, 5 hours 24 minutes from Daegu, 4 hours 50 minutes from Gwangju, 4 hours 14 minutes from Gangneung, and 2 hours 28 minutes from Daejeon.

Compared to the travel times at 9 a.m., these have increased by about an hour.

On the Seoul-bound Gyeongbu Expressway, congestion is occurring in the following sections: Yangsan Junction to Seokgye (7 km), near Yeongcheon Junction to Yeongcheon Junction, Sintanjin Rest Area to Sintanjin, Cheonan to near Cheonan (2 km), Biryong Junction to near Daejeon (7 km), Cheongju Junction to near Oksan (13 km), near Anseong to near Anseong Junction (9 km), and near Yangjae to Banpo (5 km).

On the Busan-bound side, traffic flow is not smooth in the sections near Gyeongju to Gyeongju (4 km), Bukdaegu to Dodong Junction (7 km), near Oksan Junction to Oksan (12 km), near Cheonan Junction to near Mokcheon (4 km), Osan to Namsa (7 km), and Jamwon to Seocho (3 km).

On the Seoul-bound Seohaean Expressway, congestion is reported in the sections near Mokpo Tollgate to Mongtan 2 Tunnel (5 km), Gochang Junction to Goindol Rest Area (7 km), near Seokimje to Dongseocheon Junction (21 km), Dangjin Junction to near Seohae Bridge (18 km), near Seopyeongtaek Junction to near Paltan Junction (12 km), Maesong to Yongdam Tunnel (2 km), and Iljik Junction to Geumcheon (4 km).

The Expressway Corporation forecasts that the traffic congestion on the return route will be at its worst between 5 and 6 p.m. and is expected to clear between 11 p.m. and midnight.

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