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지나쌤

S. Koreans leave for hometowns as Lunar New Year holiday starts

By 조정은

Published : Feb. 18, 2015 - 11:55

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Most South Koreans hit the road to visit their hometowns for Lunar New Year causing traffic jams on the country's highways Wednesday, as the five-day holiday kicked off.

As of 11 a.m., there were severe traffic jams on South Korea's two major expressways in the central part of the country around Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul, said the Korea Expressway Corp., the country's expressway operator. 

A man holding his grandchild poses at Jeju International Airport after their reunion on Wednesday. (Yonhap) A man holding his grandchild poses at Jeju International Airport after their reunion on Wednesday. (Yonhap)


The two highways link Seoul and Busan, 453 km southeast of the capital, and Seoul and Mokpo, 410 km south of the capital.

As of 11 a.m., the estimated driving times from Seoul to Busan was 6 hours and 20 minutes and from Seoul to Mokpo was 6 hours and 10 minutes.

"Highway traffic started to increase from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m., causing the traffic congestion. It is expected to reach a peak at noon," said a Korea Expressway official. "The traffic congestion is forecast to ease in the evening."

Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 19, is one of two major holidays in South Korea, along with Chuseok, where families and relatives gather in their hometowns.

(Yonhap)

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