Holiday Traffic Pushes Seoul-to-Busan Drive to Six and a Half Hours

South Korea’s expressways became heavily congested Saturday as travelers headed out on the first day of the Gaecheonjeol holiday, with the drive from Seoul to Busan estimated to take six hours and 30 minutes during the morning rush.

The Korea Expressway Corporation expected about 5.7 million vehicles to use highways nationwide over the course of the day. Of those, an estimated 450,000 vehicles were forecast to leave the Seoul metropolitan area for regional destinations, while about 420,000 were expected to enter the capital region.

The concentration of outbound traffic reflected the start of the holiday break, as families and day-trippers left the capital for hometown visits and leisure destinations. Gaecheonjeol, observed on October 3, is one of South Korea’s national holidays. This year it fell on a Saturday, adding to weekend travel demand.

Traffic in the direction of regional destinations was expected to reach its most congested point at around noon. The forecast indicated that motorists leaving Seoul later in the morning were likely to face the longest delays, with the Seoul-to-Busan estimate illustrating the scale of pressure on major intercity routes.

The nationwide volume forecast also showed that congestion was not limited to a single expressway or destination. With hundreds of thousands of vehicles crossing the boundary of the capital region in both directions, bottlenecks were expected around major junctions, tolling areas and routes serving popular weekend destinations.

Travel-time estimates issued during holiday congestion can change as traffic builds or clears, accidents occur, or drivers shift to alternate routes. Motorists were therefore advised to check live highway conditions before departure and allow additional time rather than relying on normal weekend journey times.

The traffic surge came as much of the country entered a clear autumn weekend, encouraging travel beyond traditional family visits. The first-day pattern was dominated by vehicles heading away from the capital, while the flow back toward the Seoul area was also projected to remain substantial.

For drivers, the 5.7 million-vehicle forecast meant that even trips outside the busiest noon period could be affected by residual congestion. Staggering departure times and reviewing current route information were likely to be the most practical ways to reduce delays during the holiday’s opening day.