By Kim Se-jeong
Millions of people hit the road on Friday to spend the Lunar New Year holiday with family or take advantage of the five-day long weekend by traveling.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimated that more than 36 million will travel during the long weekend, one of the two biggest holidays in Korea.
Highways across the country began to fill up around 3 p.m. Friday, reaching peak traffic at around 6 p.m.
“We project that Sunday morning and Monday afternoon will be the busiest times in terms of traffic, but this can change as we monitor the situation,” a ministry official said.
The estimated time of travel by car from Seoul is two hours and 40 minutes to Daejeon, three hours to Gangneung, more than four hours to Gwangju, four and a half hours to Daegu and more than five hours to Busan.
“As the holiday period is long, lasting to Wednesday, we expect the congestion will not be as serious as previous holidays which lasted for shorter periods,” the official said.
Bus-only lanes on highways will be strictly monitored on extended hours, with violators facing fines.
Real-time traffic conditions are available by visiting www.roadplus.co.kr or calling 1588-2504 (both services in Korean only).
During the holiday period, the ministry will increase operations of intercity buses, trains, planes and ferries. But bus terminals, train stations and ports were already packed with holiday travelers.
Lines were also long at Incheon International Airport as people flocked to travel abroad during the long holiday. The airport authority expects some 634,000 people will head overseas from Friday to Wednesday, more than 100,000 per day.
No rain or snow is forecast throughout the holiday, except for Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and some parts of Gangwon Province where light rain is forecast on Monday.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would extend subway operations until 2 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday when a high number of citizens are expected to return from their hometown visits via bus or train. Buses servicing major bus terminals or train stations will also have extended operating hours.
People with medical emergencies can call 119 or 129 for help. A website for emergency medical centers (e-gen.or.kr) offers information on the nearest emergency rooms and drugstores that are open during the holiday. It also offers the free smartphone application E-GEN.
The same information is also available in Korean on www.pharm114.or.kr.