Highways congested due to heavy snow on 4th day of Lunar New Year holiday
Vehicles move slowly near Suwon Singal Interchange on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 28. Yonhap
Traffic on major highways across Korea showed some signs of congestion Tuesday as heavy snow blanketed the country on the fourth day of this year's extended Lunar New Year holiday period.
This year's Lunar New Year holiday, known as Seollal, was extended to six days, lasting until Thursday, after the government designated Monday as a temporary national holiday.
As of 5 p.m., a drive from Seoul to the southeastern port city of Busan, some 320 kilometers away, was expected to take five hours and 20 minutes, according to the state-run Korea Expressway Corp. Among other major holiday destinations, the drive from the capital city to Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south, was expected to take four hours and 10 minutes. A trip from Seoul to Gangneung, about 170 kilometers east, was to take two hours and 40 minutes on the road.
A drive from Busan to Seoul, on the other hand, was estimated at six hours. Also per Korea Expressway Corp., a trip from Gwangju to Seoul and the one from Gangneung to Seoul were both expected to take four hours and 10 minutes.
Traffic congestion on outbound routes from Seoul is expected to ease between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and inbound traffic could ease by around 11 p.m., Korea Expressway Corp. said.
The state-run company advised drivers to be wary of slippery sections and travel at reduced speeds.
Korea Expressway estimated 4.93 million vehicles would travel nationwide Tuesday, including 500,000 cars leaving the greater Seoul area and 530,000 cars entering it. (Yonhap)