Seollal Migration Gets Underway
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Buses and vehicles carrying millions of homebound travelers clogged major roads linking Seoul and rural towns Friday as the Lunar New Year, the country's biggest holiday, falls on Sunday.
With 3.6 million people expected to move in and out of the capital ahead of the holiday that continues through Monday, virtually all trains, planes, buses and highways bound from Seoul were packed with crowds from Friday morning.
Nationwide, an estimated 22.45 million people are expected to be on the move across the country for the three-day holiday. The number is up about 10 percent from the figure last year. The Korea Highway Corporation said more than 360,000 cars and buses drove out of the bustling capital of 12 million and a higher traffic volume is expected on Saturday.
The Lunar New Year, or "Seollal" in Korean, which begins Sunday, is the most celebrated day in the traditional Chinese calendar and New Year-related travel is the largest annual migration in the country.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) asked drivers in Gangwon Province to exercise particular caution. Nearly 80 centimeters of snow has covered roads passing through mountainous areas in the province over the past few days and more snowfall is expected during the holiday, the KMA said.
Other cities in the province, including Sokcho and Donghae, were also blanketed with some 30 centimeters of snowfall, it added.
"Many parts of the roads there will turn icy with the mercury forecast to drop below zero during the holiday," the KMA said in a statement. "Other cities in the middle parts of the peninsula will have snow, but not that much."
The transportation ministry will provide round-the-clock traffic information through its twitter feed, www.twitter.com/HappyTraffic, and at www.mltm.go.kr/sul, which are available through desktops and smartphones as well.
A variety of events for expats are to be held during the holiday. The Seoul Global Center (https://global.seoul.go.kr) plans to host events to help foreigners here experience the diverse Korean culture associated with the Lunar New Year.