Traffic for the trip to hometowns during the Lunar New Year holiday is expected to start backing up on the afternoon of the 13th, and the return trip is forecast to be most congested on the holiday itself, the 17th.
Tmap Mobility and SK Telecom on the 11th released expected travel times by segment for the Lunar New Year holiday based on big data on movement during the holiday period.
Tmap said that because Lunar New Year falls in the latter half of the break, demand to head to hometowns will be relatively dispersed in the early part of the holiday, while demand to return to the Seoul metropolitan area will concentrate in the latter part, making the return trip more congested.
The homebound trip is expected to be busiest between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on the 13th. During that window, Seoul–Busan is projected to take 6 hours 2 minutes, and Seoul–Gangneung 3 hours 34 minutes. Seoul–Gwangju is expected to take 4 hours 40 minutes, and Seoul–Daejeon around 3 hours 40 minutes.
On the 15th, the middle of the holiday, many vehicles are likely to move at once, extending congestion for a long stretch. That day, many sections are expected to be jammed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Seoul–Busan at 6 hours 2 minutes, Seoul–Gwangju 5 hours, and Seoul–Gangneung and Seoul–Daejeon at 3 hours 19 minutes—about 20 to 30 minutes longer than usual.
The return trip on the 17th is seen as the toughest peak. Busan–Seoul could stretch to 8 hours, about twice the usual time, according to projections. Gwangju–Seoul is expected at 6 hours 45 minutes, and Gangneung–Seoul and Daejeon–Seoul around 4 hours 30 minutes. Reverse homebound travel from Seoul to the provinces is also analyzed to be most congested on the 17th. If departing Seoul on the morning of the 17th, Busan-bound could take up to 7 hours, Gwangju 5 hours, and Daejeon 3 hours 30 minutes.
On the 18th, overall traffic flow is expected to stabilize, but demand for return trips could build again between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.