Homebound traffic expected to be heaviest Sunday

Homebound traffic on expressways is expected to be heaviest Sunday, the second day of the extended Chuseok holiday, according to the expressway operator.

As of 9 a.m., travel time from Seoul to the southeastern city of Busan is estimated at 7 hours and 30 minutes, 7 hours to the southeastern city of Ulsan, 6 hours and 40 minutes to the southwestern city of Mokpo, and 6 hours and 30 minutes to the southeastern city of Daegu, according to the Korea Expressway Corp.

Travel times to Seoul are estimated at 5 hours and 10 minutes from Busan, 4 hours and 40 minutes from Ulsan, 3 hours and 40 minutes from Mokpo, and 4 hours and 10 minutes from Daegu.

The KEC said outbound traffic from Seoul is expected to be heaviest Sunday, with congestion starting at around 5 a.m. and peaking around noon before easing around 8 p.m.

Inbound traffic is expected to be relatively light, with congestion starting at around 10 a.m. and peaking between 4 and 5 p.m. before easing around 8 p.m.

The KEC said 5.96 million vehicles are expected to hit the roads Sunday, including 520,000 traveling from the capital region to the provinces and 420,000 traveling from the provinces to the capital area.

This year's Chuseok, the Korean fall harvest celebration, falls on Tuesday, and the extended holiday runs from Saturday until Wednesday.