Seoul, Oct 9 (IANS) — Major expressways across South Korea were heavily congested on Thursday as millions of people made their way back home on the final day of the extended Chuseok holiday.
This year’s holiday spanned a full week, ending Thursday, as Chuseok — Korea’s traditional harvest festival, which fell on Monday — was linked with two national holidays: National Foundation Day (October 3) and Hangeul Day (October 9), which celebrates the creation of the Korean alphabet, according to Yonhap News Agency.
As of 9 a.m., travel times to Seoul were estimated at 6 hours and 40 minutes from Busan, 4 hours and 10 minutes from Gwangju, and 3 hours from Gangneung, the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) reported.
An estimated 5.13 million vehicles were expected to be on the move nationwide Thursday, with around 400,000 departing the Seoul metropolitan area and 390,000 heading toward the capital from other regions.
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae Myung reaffirmed his commitment to improving citizens’ livelihoods in a message shared Tuesday, following the Chuseok celebrations.
“With a humble heart, I promise again that I will carefully look after the people’s present and the future of their livelihoods,” Lee wrote on Instagram, posting photos of himself and First Lady Kim Hea Kyung dressed in traditional hanbok for the fall festival.
He added that he would remain committed to this goal even at personal or political cost, amid ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States.
Lee’s comments came after criticism from the opposition People Power Party over his recent appearance on JTBC’s cooking show “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,” which aired during a period when several government online services were down following a fire at a state data center late last month.
