Several outbound routes from Seoul experienced severe traffic congestion on Sunday, the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, as millions of South Koreans traveled to their hometowns for the annual homecoming tradition.
The Gyeongbu Expressway in southern Seoul was packed with vehicles, with southbound sections of the nation's busiest highway—linking Seoul and Busan—seeing cars at a standstill or crawling at a snail's pace due to the heavy volume of traffic.
According to the state-run Korea Expressway Corp., around 5 million vehicles were expected to hit the roads nationwide on Sunday, resulting in the heaviest southbound congestion. This included approximately 450,000 cars leaving the greater Seoul area and 380,000 heading toward it.
The holiday period for Seol, the major Lunar New Year celebration, began over the weekend and is set to run through Wednesday, with the official holiday marked on Tuesday. This annual exodus has long been a hallmark of the festivities, drawing families back to their ancestral homes.
Traffic pileups were not limited to the Gyeongbu Expressway; many parts of the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway, which spans north to south across the country, also reported significant backups as drivers navigated the popular route.
The congestion underscores the scale of South Korea's Lunar New Year migration, with highways transforming into parking lots during peak travel days like this Sunday, testing the patience of commuters eager to reunite with loved ones.
