Heavy traffic clogs a highway in Yongin, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul, Sept. 13, ahead of the five-day Chuseok holiday. Yonhap

Heavy traffic jams on major expressways across Korea were gradually easing late Saturday, the first day of the extended Chuseok holiday, the expressway operator said.

According to the Korea Expressway Corp., the estimated travel time from Seoul to the southeastern port city of Busan had come to 4 hours and 30 minutes as of 6:00 p.m., and about 3 hours and 30 minutes to Daegu, 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Trips to Gwangju, 237 kilometers southwest of Seoul, were estimated to take 3 hours and 30 minutes, followed by the central city of Daegu at 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Chuseok, which falls on Tuesday this year, is the Korean autumn harvest celebration, during which people head to their hometowns to get together with family members and relatives, and visit their ancestors' graves.

The Chuseok break runs for five days from Saturday to Wednesday.

The congestion for cars departing from Seoul is likely to fully ease at around 8 p.m., according to the agency.

Some 420,000 vehicles are expected to hit the road traveling from the greater Seoul area to the provinces, as well as another 430,000 heading from the provinces to the greater Seoul region, on Saturday alone, it added. (Yonhap)