During Lunar New Year Holiday, Total of 30.71 Million People Traveled... Traffic Accident Deaths Decreased by 30%

Mobile Population Increases by 10.2% Compared to Previous Year

On the 8th, one day before the Lunar New Year holiday, the full-scale homecoming battle began as vehicles crowded the southbound lanes toward Busan on the Seoul Gyeongbu Expressway, causing traffic congestion. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 14th that a total of 30.71 million people traveled over the five days from the 8th to the 12th during the special traffic measures period for the Lunar New Year holiday. This represents a 10.2% increase compared to 27.87 million people over five days last year.

The total highway traffic volume was 27.21 million vehicles, a 7.9% increase compared to last year. On the Lunar New Year day, the 10th, the traffic volume reached 6.29 million vehicles, the highest daily traffic volume ever recorded during the holiday period.

The maximum travel time on highways varied by section but overall slightly decreased compared to last year. The Seoul→Busan route saw a 10-minute reduction, and the Seoul→Mokpo route saw a 20-minute reduction compared to last year.

By mode of transportation, the share of passenger cars increased due to a rise in car travel (from 92.2% to 93.1%). The share of air travel also slightly increased (from 0.6% to 1.2%) due to expanded travel demand.

More than 10 types of budget snacks priced under 3,500 KRW were sold at 202 rest areas (97.5%) out of a total of 207 rest areas. Service personnel were increased to support congestion guidance at rest areas. The mobile electric vehicle free charging service was used by 504 vehicles at 11 rest areas.

Joint enforcement combining drones and undercover patrol cars focused on cracking down on traffic violations, and traffic safety promotion was strengthened through new media and electronic billboards. During the measure period, the number of traffic accidents nationwide was 1,201, a 39.5% decrease compared to 1,983 cases last year. The number of fatalities was 19, a 29.7% decrease compared to 27 last year.

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