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Seoul to keep hospitals open, increase bus trips through Chuseok holiday

Published: 24 Sep. 2025, 15:08

Passengers walk through Seoul Station in central Seoul on Aug. 22. [YONHAP]

Seoul will keep hospitals, pharmacies and public services running through the long Chuseok holiday in October, while also boosting bus services and supplies of holiday staples to ease the strain on residents and travelers.

The city government said Wednesday it has drawn up a package of 15 measures that will be in place from Oct. 2 to Oct. 10. The initiatives focus on three areas: public safety, economic stability and everyday convenience.

This year’s Chuseok holiday runs from Oct. 5 to 7, with the main day on Oct. 6, linking National Foundation Day on Oct. 3 and Hangul Day on Oct. 9 to create a longer holiday period for many.

To prevent gaps in medical care, a total of 17,000 hospitals, clinics and pharmacies will open during the holiday.

Seventy hospitals and emergency rooms across the city will stay open around the clock. Additional facilities for children, including eight pediatric hospitals and three pediatric emergency centers, will also be open. Two Seoul-run urgent care centers and four specialized hospitals will handle nonemergency cases so that emergency rooms remain available for serious patients.

Fire safety inspections will take place ahead of the holiday at nursing homes, makeshift housing, traditional markets and large stores. Authorities will also check subway stations, bus terminals, expressways and parks to ensure that facilities can handle holiday crowds.

The city will increase the supply of 10 major holiday food items to retailers to 29,000 tons during the designated period, up 5 percent from normal levels. Inspectors will also check labeling at 4,000 markets and stores handling agricultural, seafood and livestock products before the holiday begins.

Wholesalers inspect fruit during an auction at Namchon Agricultural Produce Wholesale Market in Incheon on Sept. 24. [YONHAP]

Police patrols will expand, targeting areas of concern and busy transit points. The city’s disaster and safety situation room will operate 24 hours a day.

Seoul will also offer support for low-income households and the elderly. More than 254,000 families receiving basic living or medical benefits will each get 30,000 won ($21).

Residents of care facilities, including 758 seniors and 1,840 people with disabilities, will receive 10,000 won. Free meals will continue for 32,000 older adults and 26,000 children in need, while shelters will provide three meals a day for the homeless. Officials will check in on vulnerable households, including 75,000 at risk of solitary death and 28,000 people with disabilities who may require assistance.

An additional 570 express and intracity bus trips will leave Seoul each day between Oct. 3 and 9 to accommodate 18,000 more passengers. The bus-only lane on the Gyeongbu Expressway will run from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. the following day during the same period.

Subways will operate on holiday schedules and late-night N buses will run as usual, but the last trains of the night will not be extended this year as travel demand is expected to spread across the longer break.

The city also plans to step up crackdowns on illegal parking near transport hubs and taxi violations such as passenger refusals.

The Seoul metropolitan government will also conduct inspections and cleanups at memorial parks. before the holiday, with extra bus services to cemeteries and other facilities customarily visited during the holiday. District offices will announce garbage collection schedules in advance and patrols will monitor dumping during the holiday. Full cleaning and waste collection will resume once the holiday ends.

National Foundation Day, which falls on Oct. 3, commemorates the legendary founding of the first Korean kingdom, Gojoseon (2333 B.C. to 108 B.C.), by Dangun. Hangul Day celebrates the creation of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong in the 15th century and is dedicated to promoting the significance of Korea’s writing system.

BY YONHAP, PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]