Photo : KBS
Anchor: A day ahead of Chuseok thanksgiving holiday, major highways across South Korea are congested on this Monday afternoon with those traveling to meet their families and friends. According to traffic authorities, a total of 35 million cars are expected to hit major highways throughout the five-day Chuseok holiday ending on Wednesday.
Kim Bum-soo has more.
Report: On the third day of the five-day holiday on Monday, traffic congestion peaked at around noon in both in and outbound directions in major highways to and from Seoul.
It is estimated to take around six hours for outbound traffic passing through Seoul toll gates at noon on this Monday to arrive in the southern port city of Busan, according to the Korea Expressway Corporation.
The 430-kilometer drive usually takes around four hours.
Those travelling from Seoul to the southwestern city of Gwangju are expected to be behind the wheels for around four hours and 50 minutes, and to the southeastern city of Daegu, five hours and ten minutes as of Monday afternoon.
From Busan to Seoul it’s estimated to be a drive of some five hours and 20 minutes, four hours from Gwangju to the capital city, and four hours and 20 minutes from Daegu to Seoul.
As South Koreans are setting their sights on their holiday destination for get-together with families and friends, a total of more than six million cars are expected to be out on highways on Monday alone.
The Korea Expressway Corporation says congestion in the outbound directions will continue until Monday evening while inbound traffic to Seoul is only expected to ease between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m.
According to traffic authorities, a total of 35 million cars are expected to pack the highways throughout the Chuseok holiday ending on Wednesday.
The government estimated that a total of nearly 37 million people, or more than 71 percent of South Korea’s entire population, will travel between Friday and Wednesday, and among them, over 88 percent will use their cars.
Bumper to bumper traffic is expected again Wednesday afternoon when more than 22 percent of respondents in a government survey said they will be driving back home during that period.
Meanwhile, Incheon International Airport Corporation estimated a daily average of over 200-thousand people are expected to take flights between Friday and Wednesday.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.