Major expressways across South Korea were congested on Wednesday, February 18, the final day of the Lunar New Year holiday, as people returned home. Sections of the Gyeongbu Expressway linking Seoul to Busan saw vehicles at a near standstill. The Korea Expressway Corp. expected inbound traffic to peak around 3 to 4 p.m.
On February 18, 2026, South Korea experienced widespread traffic congestion as the Lunar New Year holiday, known as Seol, concluded. The holiday, marked principally on February 17, ran from the weekend through Wednesday.
Some sections of the Gyeongbu Expressway, connecting Seoul to the southeastern city of Busan via major cities, were at a standstill as of Wednesday morning due to heavy traffic. According to the Korea Expressway Corp. (KEC), travel times to Seoul were estimated at 5 hours and 20 minutes from Busan, 4 hours and 20 minutes from Daegu, and 2 hours and 20 minutes from Daejeon at 8 a.m.
The KEC forecasted that inbound traffic would peak around 3 to 4 p.m. and begin to ease by 11 p.m. A total of 4.85 million vehicles were expected to travel nationwide that day, including 350,000 leaving the Seoul metropolitan area for other provinces and 490,000 heading toward Seoul from other regions.
This congestion is a recurring issue during the Lunar New Year period, driven by families returning from visits to hometowns. The KEC urged safe driving amid the delays.
