Heavy Traffic on Highways as South Koreans Return to Seoul for Lunar New Year

SEOUL — Major highways across South Korea experienced significant traffic congestion on Sunday morning, as millions began their return to Seoul on the third day of the four-day Lunar New Year holiday. Following celebrations in their hometowns on Saturday for Lunar New Year’s Day, travelers started their journeys back to the capital early Sunday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the state-run agency overseeing highway operations, the trip from Busan in the southeast to Seoul, covering a distance of 325 kilometers, was expected to last approximately six hours and 40 minutes as of 9 a.m. From Gwangju, 267 kilometers south of Seoul, the estimated travel time was five hours and 30 minutes. Traffic heading toward Seoul was anticipated to reach its peak between 4 and 5 p.m. on Sunday, with conditions expected to improve around 2 to 3 a.m. the following day.

The Korea Expressway Corp. also projected that about 5.15 million vehicles would be on the roads on Sunday, indicating a massive movement of people returning to the capital after the holiday.