By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The ``holiday migration'' started Friday, a day before the five-day ``Chuseok'' holiday began.
Residents in Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas began to head for their hometowns in provinces nationwide, packing roads, train stations and airports.
The government forecasts a total of 23 million people will move between cities _ leaving their residences, returning to their hometown or taking trips _ for seven days from Friday through next Thursday.
More than 300,000 cars departed Seoul Friday, and a total of 2.1 million cars, a 4.3 percent increase from a year before, are expected to leave Seoul on the expressways, according to the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC).
However, as there are still three days left before the day of Chuseok, which falls on Sept. 25, the corporation expects the traffic going to hometowns will not face as grave congestion as other years. A survey showed Monday would be the most crowded with the largest number of citizens heading for their homes.
But roads will be packed with cars coming up to Seoul Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday. The KEC estimated it will take six hours for cars to come back to Seoul from Daejon, nine hours from Busan, eight hours from Gwangju, eight and a half hours from Mokpo, and more than five hours from Gangneung, according to the corporation.
The first lane of the Gyeongbu expressway between Seoul and Busan will be a bus-only lane from 9 a.m. Saturday to midnight Wednesday.
The government has increased bus operations and hired 500 charter buses. Train tickets from Seoul to provinces have almost sold out, even standing tickets. The Korea Railroad will increase train operation by 14 percent compared to regular days.
The number of people departing or entering the country through Incheon International Airport is forecast to be 592,000 during the holidays. An airport official advised passengers to arrive at the airport more than two hours earlier than their departure time in order to avoid crowds.