Korea Expressway Corp. said Tuesday traffic jams on major expressways sharply eased later in the day, the final day of the extended Chuseok holiday, as many families returned home after visiting their hometowns.
As of 10 p.m., the estimated travel time to Seoul from Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of the capital, had been 4 hours and 30 minutes, the traffic agency said, after heavy holiday traffic mostly eased late Monday.
From the southeastern city of Ulsan, the estimated travel time was 4 hours and 10 minutes. Trips from Gangneung, 163 kilometers east of Seoul, took around 2 hours and 40 minutes, it said.
The estimated travel times in the opposite direction were similar, with nearly 4.3 million vehicles expected to travel on expressways nationwide Tuesday, according to the agency.
This year's Chuseok fell on Friday, and the holiday runs from Thursday through Tuesday when the country marks National Foundation Day.
Chuseok is the Korean autumn harvest celebration during which people head to their hometowns to get together with family members and relatives, and visit their ancestors' graves.
Source: Yonhap News Agency