Pre-Chuseok mass exodus begins in S. Korea

A mass exodus of people returning to their hometowns began in South Korea on the eve of the Chuseok holiday period on Wednesday, with traffic jams forming on highways and many trains and flights already sold out, government authorities said.

An average of 6.5 million people will be on the country's roads every day during the Oct. 5-7 holiday period, up 4.2 percent from last year, they said. Half of those returning to their hometowns were expected to hit the road on Thursday, the first day of the holiday period.

This year's exodus may be smaller than in previous years, because some companies made the entire week a holiday and many people left Seoul last weekend, they said.

Transportation authorities increased the volume of bus and train operations to meet the holiday demand. The Korea Railroad Corporation said tickets for trains departing from Seoul were sold out through Thursday, while airport authorities reported 90 percent booking for domestic flights Wednesday.

Tickets for express buses were still available, with many people opting for trains and planes to avoid traffic congestion.

Drivers from Seoul to Busan need to spend nine hours on the road, and those heading to Gwangju require seven-and-a-half hours, double the time it usually takes, the authorities said.

Most of the travelers were expected to return home on Saturday, they said.

Chuseok is one of the main traditional holidays in Korea, with families gathering together to pay homage to ancestors with food from freshly-harvested crops.

Seoul, Oct. 4 (Yonhap News)