▲ The southbound lanes on the Gyeongbu Expressway, which links Seoul to the southeastern port city of Busan, are packed with vehicles, near Jamwon IC in southern Seoul, on Sept. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- The annual exodus for Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, began Wednesday as South Koreans headed to their hometowns for family reunions and took trips during the extended holiday.

This year's four-day Chuseok holiday runs from Thursday to Sunday. Traditionally, Koreans return to their hometowns during Chuseok to reunite with family members and pay respects at their ancestors' graves.

Traffic congestion already began building on major expressways across the country on Wednesday afternoon, as Chuseok traffic increased, according to Korea Expressway Corp.

The company said traffic would be heavier than usual Wednesday, with 6.13 million vehicles expected to be on the roads throughout the day.

The company estimated that 510,000 vehicles would travel from the Seoul metropolitan area to other regions, while 450,000 would travel in the opposite direction. It expects the 420-kilometer drive from Seoul to the southeastern city of Busan, for instance, to take about seven hours and 30 minutes.

An expressway trip from Seoul to the southwestern city of Gwangju would take six hours and 50 minutes, while a trip to the east coast city of Gangneung would take three hours and 20 minutes, the company said.

Expressway traffic heading away from Seoul is expected to remain heavy through Thursday, while the nationwide exodus is also expected to cause congestion at railroad stations and airports throughout the extended holiday period.

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