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Seoul-Bound Traffic Clogs Highways on Lunar New Year’s Final Day

A renewed toll waiver reduces driver expenses at the expense of the debt-laden expressway operator.

Overview

  • About 4.85 million vehicles were expected on the roads Wednesday, with Korea Expressway Corp. projecting inbound traffic to peak between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. and ease by around 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
  • As of 5 p.m., estimated travel from Seoul was five hours to Busan, four hours to Daegu and two hours 20 minutes to Daejeon, while outbound routes saw no major congestion.
  • Congestion was concentrated on corridors into Seoul, with slow or stop‑and‑go stretches reported on the Gyeongbu, Seohaean, Jungbu Inland and Yeongdong expressways.
  • Roughly 6.15 million vehicles traveled nationwide the previous day, highlighting the holiday’s heavy traffic volumes.
  • Tolls were waived nationwide for the holiday, applied automatically for Hi-Pass users and via ticket submission in regular lanes, a policy linked to over 2.0266 trillion won in toll reductions since 2020 and a record 41.5 trillion won debt for the expressway operator in 2024.