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This is the first Lunar New Year holiday since social distancing was lifted.
Highway traffic has increased significantly compared to last year, and today (22nd), the day of the Lunar New Year, is expected to be the most severe congestion.
Let's connect reporters at the Seoul Tollgate.
Reporter Park Kyung-hyun, how is the current highway situation?
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From this morning, the highway congestion started again.
The number of vehicles passing through the Seoul toll booth is increasing little by little.
Severe traffic congestion is expected this afternoon both on the way home and on the way home.
If you depart from Seoul now, it will take 8 hours to Busan based on the tollgate.
It takes 7 hours to Daegu, 5 hours 40 minutes to Mokpo, and 4 hours 10 minutes to Gangneung.
Conversely, if you depart from Busan now, it will take 8 hours and 15 minutes to the Seoul Tollgate, 7 hours and 15 minutes from Daegu, 6 hours and 50 minutes from Mokpo, and 3 hours and 20 minutes from Gangneung.
We will explain the situation while watching real-time highway CCTV.
First, it is near the Osan IC on the Gyeongbu Expressway.
The road to Busan on the right is full of cars.
The left side of Seoul is still well-connected.
The next one is near the Yongin Rest Area on the Yeongdong Expressway.
Cars are moving slowly in the direction of Gangneung.
Subsequently, the road to Mokpo is also congested on the Seohaean Expressway Seopyeongtaek section.
Traffic during the Lunar New Year holiday was predicted to increase by 23% compared to last year when social distancing was applied.
It is expected that 6.12 million vehicles will move on national highways today, including 490,000 vehicles moving from the metropolitan area to the provinces and 470,000 vehicles moving from the provinces to the metropolitan area.
The Korea Expressway Corporation predicted that the congestion on the way home would be resolved around 8:00 tonight and the traffic congestion on the way back would be resolved around 2:00 am tomorrow.