Short Holidays, Long Ways to Go Home

On the 30th, one day before the Lunar New Year`s Day Holidays, the `Grand Locomotion of People`of 30.86 million people on homeward bound has started.

Since the homeward bound movement actually started from the 30th, the homeward bound vehicles and people have crowded in highways all over the country, local roads, and terminals.

Because of the `short 3-day holiday,`early homeward bound people were crowded, so in some areas of the highways, extreme traffic has been fomented.

The Construction and Transportation Ministry predicted on the 30th, “Around 30.86 million people will be on the homeward bound, and since the holidays are shorter than last year, time for going and coming back will be increased in certain areas.” According to the Construction and Transportation, highway-using vehicles seem to be 13.17 million, which is 7.1% increased than the same period of last year.

The Korea Highway Corporation predicted that it would take most time if you start on the morning of the 31st. At that time, if we use the time of entrance to the Seoul Tall Gate using highways with cars as a starting point, it will take 9 and half hours to Busan and 4 hours 50 minutes to Daejun, so it would take about 30 minutes ~ 1 hour 30 minutes more than last year`s Lunar New Year`s Day Holidays.

The Highway Corporation estimated that around 278,000 vehicles are leaving Seoul on the 30th, and on the 31st, the first day of the holidays, around 300,000 vehicles will leave Seoul, and on the first of February when coming back to Seoul will be started, around 330,000 vehicles will come back to Seoul.

According to the Highway Corporation, as of 2PM on the 30th, between Yangjae ~ Ansung and Chonan ~ Hoiduk in Gyongbu Expressway, West Ichon ~ Iljook and West Chongjoo ~ Nami in Joongbu Expressway, and Mokpo ~ Beebong in West Coast Expressway, traffic congestion became severe, so the speed dropped to under 30km per hour.

In the meantime, the tickets for trains and planes are sold out early on the 30th. In the Seoul Station, 125 regular trains and 35 special trains were put into service, but everything was sold out including standing tickets.

In the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal, while it is operating buses to 32 cities, almost every tickets to cities at the south of Daejon has been sold out until the 31st. The Terminal put additional 480 buses into service on the 30th and accomoated the people who didn`t get tickets yet.

In-Jik Cho cij1999@donga.com