Millions hit road as weeklong Chuseok holiday begins in South Korea

On the first day of the Chuseok holiday, Friday, travelers line up for check-in at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport. (Yonhap)

Highways across South Korea ground to a crawl and Incheon International Airport saw record passenger traffic Friday, as millions hit the road or boarded flights on the first day of the Chuseok holiday.

Traffic congestion began on major highways in the morning, the Korea Expressway Corp. said.

As of 9 a.m., estimated travel times from Seoul tollgates were seven hours to Busan, six hours and 30 minutes to Ulsan, six hours and 10 minutes to Mokpo, six hours to Daegu, five hours and 40 minutes to Gwangju, four hours and 10 minutes to Gangneung, and three hours and 40 minutes to Daejeon.

On the first day of the Chuseok holiday, Friday, traffic is congested on the southbound lanes near the Jamwon Interchange of the Gyeongbu Expressway in Seoul. (Yonhap)

Holiday travelers board express buses at Seoul Express Bus Terminal in Seocho District, Seoul, Thursday, ahead of the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)

In the opposite direction, estimated travel times to Seoul were five hours and 10 minutes from Busan, four hours and 40 minutes from Ulsan, three hours and 40 minutes from Mokpo, four hours and 10 minutes from Daegu, three hours and 20 minutes from Gwangju, two hours and 40 minutes from Gangneung, and one hour and 33 minutes from Daejeon.

However, traffic on major expressways eased later in the evening. As of 9 p.m. the drive between Seoul and Busan was expected to take 4 1/2 hours, both northbound and southbound. Likewise, the expected travel time in both directions decreased to four hours and 20 minutes between Seoul and Ulsan; three hours and 50 minutes between Seoul and Mokpo; three hours and 20 minutes between Seoul and Daegu; three hours and 20 minutes between Seoul and Gwangju; two hours and 40 minutes between Seoul and Gangneung; and 1 1/2 hours between Seoul and Daejeon

About 5.24 million vehicles were expected to be on the move nationwide, including 440,000 leaving the Seoul metropolitan area for the provinces and 430,000 traveling from the provinces into the capital region.

Traffic is projected to be heaviest on Sunday, the day of Chuseok, with congestion expected to ease to normal levels by Wednesday afternoon.

A family boards a train at Seoul Station on Thursday as they head to their hometown for the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)

Seoul Station was crowded from early morning Thursday with holiday travelers heading to visit their families.

To accommodate demand, Korail has implemented special transport measures for the holiday period, which began Wednesday. The company is operating 10 additional trains a day until Oct. 12, providing an average of 330,000 seatsa day.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, overall train reservations had reached nearly 80 percent, with southbound routes recording a booking rate of 95.3 percent.

Passengers, including holiday travelers, walk after getting off a train at Gwangju Songjeong Station in Gwangsan District, Gwangju, on Thursday, a day before the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)

The duty-free zone at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport is crowded with travelers on Friday, the first day of the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)

Meanwhile, demand for overseas travel surged, with Incheon International Airport forecast to post a record number of passengers during the holiday. Airport authorities said about 2.45 million travelers are expected to use the airport during the seven-day holiday period from Friday through Thursday — an average of 223,000 passengers a day.

A family heads to their hometown for the Chuseok holiday at Seoul Station on Friday. (Yonhap)

The busiest day is expected to be Friday, with 129,000 outbound travelers.

A child pushes a suitcase at Seoul Station on Thursday while heading to their hometown for the Chuseok holiday. (Yonhap)