By Kim Rahn
Despite concerns over the further spreading of foot-and-mouth disease during the Lunar New Year holiday or “Seollal,” the exodus from Seoul of people heading toward their hometowns will begin this evening, clogging roads nationwide.
Some 15 million people are expected to migrate to their hometowns during the five-day holiday, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Monday.
Roads to provinces are expected to be jammed the most on Wednesday morning, with 42 percent of homebound people planning to hit the road then, according to the ministry.
It is expected to take more than five hours to drive from Seoul to Daejeon, eight and a half hours from Seoul to Busan — four to five hours longer than usual.
Still, the way back to Seoul will not be as chaotic as that to hometowns, as the time they will return to the capital will be dispersed from Thursday to Sunday.
The ministry advised people to take caution while driving, as an average 3,300 accidents took place per day during the Seollal holidays over the last three years, claiming 100 lives and injuring 5,900 on average.
Traffic accidents took place most frequently between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., with the death toll in those hours being 10 percent higher than average hours.
For those visiting their hometowns and coming back to Seoul on public transportation late at night between Friday and Sunday, subways will extend operating hours to 2 a.m. the next day. Buses running near major train stations and cross-country bus terminals will also operate until 2 a.m.
The number of cross-country buses and taxis will also be increased.
The operation hours of subways and buses differ according to each line and route, so users are advised to check the schedule in advance by calling the 24-hour traffic control center at 02-738-8703, 8793, or Seoul City’s Dasan Call Center at 120.
For those having a sudden illness or other medical emergency during the holiday, the 1339 emergency hotline is available.
While most medical centers are closed, patients can get information about emergency treatment or locations of nearby clinics and pharmacies on duty by calling the number or visiting the website www.1339.or.kr.
Translation services will be available in English, Chinese and Japanese for both the hotline and website, according to the Emergency Medical Information Center, the hotline operator.