Shoppers browse Chuseok gift sets at a supermarket in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 10, ahead of the Chuseok holiday.NEWS1
Seoul is rolling out a six-day plan to support residents during the upcoming Chuseok holiday, extending subway and bus service, adding emergency medical coverage and expanding financial support for vulnerable households.
The four-day Chuseok holiday from Sept. 24 to 27 is a day shorter than last year's and expected to concentrate the usual rush of travelers heading to and from their hometowns into a tighter window. The city's response plan runs from Sept. 23 to 28.
Subway and city bus services on Sept. 26 and 27 will run last trains and buses until 1 a.m. the following day. Subway Lines 1 through 9, along with the Ui-Sinseol Line and Sillim Line, will add a combined 128 additional runs so that trains arrive at their terminal stations by 1 a.m. City bus schedules will be adjusted so that the last buses on routes passing through five major train stations and three bus terminals pass those stops at 1 a.m.
Express and intercity buses departing Seoul will also add 751 runs per day to expand capacity.
To prevent gaps in medical care during the holiday, 51 emergency medical institutions and 23 hospitals with emergency rooms across the city will operate around the clock. Eight facilities for pediatric patients will also be in operation.
During the four-day holiday, an average of about 1,500 clinics and pharmacies will be open daily — 613 clinics and hospitals and 896 pharmacies. Detailed operating information will be available through the National Emergency Medical Center's website and the 120 Dasan Call Center, among other channels.
Apples and pears, staples of the Chuseok table, are displayed for sale at a traditional market in eastern Seoul on Sept. 1.NEWS1
Measures to stabilize household finances will run alongside these efforts. Holiday cash assistance will be provided to 250,000 low-income households. Meal support for low-income senior citizens and children at risk of going hungry, as well as well-being check-ins for those at risk of dying alone, will continue without interruption.
The city will also increase bus service through Mang-U History and Culture Park in Jungnang District, eastern Seoul, and run a free shuttle bus within Yongmiri Public Cemetery in Paju, Gyeonggi, to accommodate those visiting family graves. Additionally, the memorial hall at Yongmi 2 Cemetery will introduce, for the first time, a “digital ancestral rite altar” featuring AI-generated portrait photos and media-art flower offerings.
Songpyeon, a type of filled sticky rice cake called tteok, is eaten over Chuseok holiday.YONHAP
To ease the burden of rising grocery prices, the city will issue 265 billion won ($198 million) in discounted local-currency vouchers for spending at small businesses and traditional markets in Seoul. Buyers can purchase 500,000 won worth of vouchers for 475,000 won. For the first time, the city has also set aside a dedicated allocation for residents 65 and older, who can buy from Monday to Thursday, ahead of general sales opening to the public on Friday.
Traditional markets across the city are also running events that refund part of each purchase as gift certificates. Through Sept. 27, 61 traditional markets and alley shopping areas across 24 of the city's 25 districts are selling ancestral rite items and agricultural and marine products at discounts of up to 30 percent, and 42 of those markets are refunding up to 30 percent of purchases in Onnuri Gift Certificates, which are Nationwide prepaid vouchers for spending at traditional markets, issued by the Korean government.
“As travel is expected to be concentrated due to the short holiday, we will make sure there are no gaps in emergency medical services, transportation and safety measures, while also ensuring that support for vulnerable groups is not neglected,” Kang Kyeong-hoon, acting director-general of Seoul's policy planning bureau, said.
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.
