On the evening of the 5th, a day before Chuseok, expressways nationwide were flowing smoothly, easing traffic congestion for those heading to their hometowns.
According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 10 p.m. that day, estimated travel times from Seoul to major cities were 4 hours 30 minutes to Busan, 4 hours 10 minutes to Ulsan, 2 hours 40 minutes to Gangneung, 1 hour 50 minutes to Yangyang (departing from Namyangju), 1 hour 30 minutes to Daejeon, 3 hours 20 minutes to Gwangju, 3 hours 50 minutes to Mokpo (departing from West Seoul), and 3 hours 30 minutes to Daegu.
From each city to Seoul, travel times were expected to be 4 hours 30 minutes from Busan, 4 hours 10 minutes from Ulsan, 2 hours 40 minutes from Gangneung, 1 hour 50 minutes from Yangyang (arriving in Namyangju), 1 hour 30 minutes from Daejeon, 3 hours 20 minutes from Gwangju, 3 hours 50 minutes from Mokpo (arriving in West Seoul), and 3 hours 30 minutes from Daegu.
On the 6th, Chuseok day, return-trip congestion is expected to intensify in earnest. Congestion toward Seoul is forecast to peak around 5 p.m., and congestion toward the provinces around 3 p.m. The congestion is expected to ease around midnight.
The Korea Expressway Corporation projected that on Chuseok day, a nationwide total of 6.67 million vehicles—the most during the holiday—will use the expressways.