SEOUL — As the Lunar New Year holiday concluded, significant traffic congestion was anticipated on major highways leading into Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the return trip to Seoul from Busan, 320 kilometers to the southeast, was expected to take approximately five hours and 40 minutes early Monday morning. Similarly, travelers from Gwangju, 267 kilometers south of Seoul, faced a four-hour and 30-minute journey. Conversely, the Korea Expressway Corp. noted shorter estimated travel times for those leaving Seoul, with the Seoul to Busan and Seoul to Gwangju drives taking about 4 hours and 40 minutes and 3 hours and 20 minutes, respectively.
Traffic volume towards Seoul was predicted to intensify between 10-11 a.m., peaking around 3-4 p.m., and then diminishing towards midnight. The state-run corporation projected that 4.2 million vehicles would be on the move on Monday, marking a decrease from the previous day's figures.