Heavy traffic slows Seoul-bound highways on final day of Lunar New Year holiday
Published: 18 Feb. 2026, 19:24
![Vehicles move slowly in both directions on the Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon Interchange in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 18. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/18/ea82fc15-e19f-463e-aab1-7caf5ad99be1.jpg)
Vehicles move slowly in both directions on the Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon Interchange in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 18. [NEWS1]
Heavy traffic slowed highways leading to Seoul on Wednesday afternoon as travelers returned home on the final day of the Lunar New Year holiday.
As of 5 p.m., drivers heading to Seoul faced delays on several expressways, with estimated travel times to the capital taking up to 5 hours from Busan, 4 hours and 40 minutes from Ulsan, 4 hours from Daegu, 3 hours and 40 minutes from Gwangju, 2 hours and 40 minutes from Gangneung, Gangwon and 2 hours and 20 minutes from Daejeon, according to the Korea Expressway Corporation.
Travel times from Seoul to those cities were shorter, with trips lasting as long as 4 hours and 30 minutes to Busan, 4 hours and 10 minutes to Ulsan, 3 hours and 30 minutes to Daegu, 3 hours and 20 minutes to Gwangju, 2 hours and 40 minutes to Gangneung and 1 hour and 40 minutes to Daejeon.
Some sections of Seoul-bound highways saw vehicles moving at speeds of 40 to 80 kilometers per hour (25 to 50 miles per hour). Outbound routes, meanwhile, saw little congestion.
The Korea Expressway Corporation expects congestion on Seoul-bound routes to ease after 11 p.m. on Wednesday.
The corporation also estimates the nationwide traffic volume to reach 4.85 million vehicles on Wednesday, down by more than 1 million from 6.15 million on Tuesday.
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.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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