Chuseok traffic forecast: Busan-Seoul trip to take up to 8 hours on Sept. 25
Chuseok holiday traffic returning to Seoul is expected to peak on Sept. 25, with the Busan-Seoul drive forecast to take up to eight hours. Check the busiest routes and best departure times.
Vehicles are seen congesting the Busan-bound Gyeongbu Expressway near Seoul’s Jamwon interchange on Oct. 4, 2025, the year's Chuseok holiday period.NEWS1
Peak congestion for travelers leaving Seoul is expected to vary by destination, while traffic heading back to the capital is forecast to be heaviest on Chuseok Day, Sept. 25.
Wednesday, the day before the holiday period that runs from Sept. 24 to 27, the route from Seoul to Daejeon is expected to be most congested, according to TMAP Mobility and SK Telecom on Thursday. The travel forecasts were based on the map's data from previous holiday periods.
A 3 p.m. departure next Wednesday is forecast to take four hours and five minutes by car. On usual days, the trip takes around two hours and 50 minutes, based on travel times shown on the TMAP app.
On Sept. 24, the heaviest congestion is expected on routes from Seoul to Gwangju and Gangneung. For an 11 a.m. departure, the trip to Gwangju is forecast to take four hours and 59 minutes, while the trip to Gangneung is expected to take three hours and 49 minutes.
On Chuseok Day, the route from Seoul to Busan is expected to record the longest outbound travel time. A noon departure is forecast to take seven hours and three minutes, about two hours longer than usual.
Travelers looking to avoid outbound congestion would be better off leaving between late at night next Wednesday and early morning on Sept. 24, TMAP Mobility said.
Traffic on all routes is also expected to be close to normal after 7 p.m. on Sept. 24 and after 5 p.m. on Sept. 25.
People wait to board express buses at the Seoul Express Bus Terminal in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Oct. 3, 2025, the year's Chuseok holiday period.NEWS1
For travelers heading to Seoul, congestion is expected to be heaviest on Chuseok Day, building from 8 a.m. and peaking around noon.
For noon departures on Sept. 25, the trip from Busan to Seoul is forecast to take eight hours. The route is expected to be the longest, taking about two hours and 30 minutes longer than usual.
The trip from Gwangju to Seoul that day is expected to take six hours and 23 minutes and Daejeon to Seoul is forecast to take four hours and 20 minutes.
A 1 p.m. departure from Gangneung to Seoul that day is forecast to take three hours and 54 minutes.
Traffic traveling against the main return flow — from Seoul to other parts of the country — is also expected to be heaviest on Sept. 25.
For noon departures, the trip from Seoul to Busan is forecast to take seven hours and three minutes. Seoul to Gwangju is expected to take four hours and 35 minutes and Seoul to Daejeon three hours and 30 minutes.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
