Seoul:Expressway traffic headed toward people's hometowns showed signs of easing on Friday evening, the second day of the Chuseok holiday. However, traffic heading back to the cities remained heavy, as reported by the expressway operator.

According to Yonhap News Agency, as of 7 p.m., travel times from Seoul were estimated at 4.5 hours to reach the southeastern city of Busan, four hours and 10 minutes to Ulsan, three hours and 40 minutes to Mokpo, 3.5 hours to Daegu, and three hours and 20 minutes to Gwangju, based on information from the Korea Expressway Corp.

The Chuseok holiday, often compared to Thanksgiving in Korea, spans from Thursday to Sunday. It is traditionally a time for family reunions, visits to hometowns, ancestral rites, and enjoying holiday foods.

Travel times to Seoul were expected to take significantly longer, with trips from Busan estimated at five hours and 50 minutes, 5.5 hours from both Mokpo and Ulsan, and five hours and 10 minutes from Gwangju.

The state-run company projected that traffic congestion on roads leaving the Seoul area would clear between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., while congestion in the opposite direction was expected to dissipate between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. the following day.

An estimated 6.84 million vehicles were anticipated to be on roads nationwide on Friday, including around 470,000 vehicles leaving the greater Seoul area and 460,000 heading toward the capital from other regions.