Traffic snarls reoccur as 'Chuseok' travelers start heading home

SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- Bumper-to-bumper traffic piled up again Sunday afternoon on major highways across the country as tens of thousands of people headed home after celebrating the "Chuseok" holiday with their relatives.

Chuseok, the Korean full moon festival, is one of the most important traditional holidays in the country. The holiday falls on the days surrounding the 15th of August by the lunar calendar, which are Sept. 13 to 15 this year by the Gregorian calendar.

One study shows that about a third of the nation's 49 million people visit their
hometowns for the holiday.

As of 3:00 p.m., approximately 160,000 vehicles had already returned to the
metropolitan area, according to the Korea Highway Corporation.

Some 160,000 more vehicles are expected to return to Seoul, said an official of
the corporation, adding that Seoul-bound traffic could cause major delays on
highways.

Driving conditions on the roads leading to the capital city of Seoul are expected
to ease at around midnight, but clog up again starting early Monday, the last day
of the holiday.

ygkim@yna.co.kr

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