{
  "id": 9284365,
  "title": "Expressway congestion begins ahead of Chuseok holiday",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/expressway-congestion-begins-ahead-of-chuseok-holiday",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T06:22:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20260923/expressway-congestion-begins-ahead-of-chuseok-holiday"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Koreans are beginning a mass exodus for Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving holiday, on Wednesday. This four-day holiday runs from Thursday to Sunday, during which time families reunite and pay respects at ancestral graves. The Korea Expressway Corp. reported that traffic congestion has already begun on major highways across the country as Chuseok traffic increases today. The company estimated that 6.13 million vehicles would be on the roads by day's end, with 510,000 vehicles traveling from Seoul to other regions and 450,000 traveling in the opposite direction. The 420-kilometer journey from Seoul to Busan, for example, is expected to take approximately seven hours and 30 minutes, while the trip from Seoul to Gwangju would take about six hours and 50 minutes.",
  "summary": "The annual exodus for Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, began Wednesday as Koreans headed to their hometowns for family reunions and took trips during the extended holiday. This year's four-day Chuseok holiday runs from Thursday to Sunday. Traditionally, Koreans return to their hometowns during Chuseok to reunite with family members and pay respects at their ancestors' graves.…",
  "key_points": [
    "Chuseok holiday begins Wednesday, four-day family reunion period",
    "Korea Expressway Corp. reports traffic congestion already on major highways",
    "6.13 million vehicles expected on roads by day's end"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The early onset of expressway congestion signals a challenging travel period for Koreans heading out for Chuseok celebrations, with lengthy delays expected on major highways.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "BOK supplies 3.65 tln won in fresh banknotes ahead of Chuseok",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/bok-supplies-3-65-tln-won-in-fresh-banknotes-ahead-of-chuseok",
        "published": "2026-09-23T03:00:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "BOK supplies $2.69 bil. in fresh banknotes ahead of Chuseok",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/bok-supplies-2-69-bil-in-fresh-banknotes-ahead-of-chuseok",
        "published": "2026-09-23T03:52:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "KBS World Radio",
        "title": "Highways Already Witnessing Chuseok Traffic a Day ahead of Holiday",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/highways-already-witnessing-chuseok-traffic-a-day-ahead-of-holiday",
        "published": "2026-09-23T06:46:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}