Seoul, Oct 6 Major expressways across South Korea remained congested with heavy traffic Monday as drivers hit the road to celebrate the seven-day Chuseok holiday with their families or began their return home.
Chuseok, which falls on Monday this year, is the Korean autumn harvest festival marked by family reunions and ancestral rites. This year's extended holiday runs from Friday to Thursday, as it connects with National Foundation Day and Hangeul Day, which commemorates the creation of the Korean alphabet.
The Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) said traffic remained heavy in both directions due to a mix of homebound travellers and late departures, Yonhap News Agency reported.
As of 6 pm, the estimated travel time to Seoul from the southeastern port city of Busan was 5 hours and 30 minutes, 5 hours and 10 minutes from the southeastern city of Ulsan, and 5 hours and 40 minutes from the southwestern city of Gwangju, according to the KEC.
Travel time from Seoul to Busan was estimated at 5 hours and 30 minutes, 5 hours and 10 minutes to Ulsan, and 4 hours and 30 minutes to Gwangju.
Outbound traffic from Seoul was expected to ease around 11 p.m., while inbound congestion was forecast to ease from around 1 a.m. Tuesday, the KEC said.
Nearly 6.67 million vehicles were expected to be on the move nationwide Monday, it added.
On October 4, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung offered their greetings to the public on the second day of the extended Chuseok holiday, vowing utmost efforts to improve people's livelihoods.
In a video message, Lee said he feels a "heavy sense of responsibility" as the country celebrates this year's extended Chuseok holiday, the Korean fall harvest festival, from Friday to next Thursday.
"The Chuseok holiday is a time when we wish for abundance for the year and dream of a hopeful future but the hardships facing people's livelihoods remain too great for us to be sharing only joy," he said.
Lee pledged his utmost efforts to help "every household live more prosperously" and ensure that the country's industries make a "vigorous leap forward."
"I am confident we will overcome all challenges, given our people's shared commitment and aspiration for a better tomorrow," he added.
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