Seoul:Heavy traffic was reported on expressways across South Korea as people traveled to their hometowns for the Chuseok holiday, with the journey from Seoul to Busan estimated to take seven hours and 20 minutes.

According to Yonhap News Agency, as of 2 p.m., travel times from Seoul were projected at six hours to Mokpo, seven hours and 20 minutes to Ulsan, six hours and 40 minutes to Daegu, and five hours and 40 minutes to Gwangju.

Chuseok, which is South Korea's equivalent of Thanksgiving, runs from Thursday to Sunday this year. The holiday is traditionally marked by visits to hometowns, family reunions, ancestral rites, and traditional foods.

Travel times to Seoul were expected to be eight hours and 10 minutes from Busan, seven hours and 10 minutes from Mokpo, seven hours and 50 minutes from Ulsan, and six hours and 40 minutes from Gwangju.

The Korea Expressway Corp. indicated that traffic congestion leaving the Seoul area was anticipated to peak between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and ease between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Conversely, congestion in the opposite direction was expected to peak between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. and ease between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. the next day.

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