Nationwide Expressways Jammed on February 18, 2026 South Korea’s road network experienced severe congestion on Wednesday, the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, with the Korea Expressway Corp (KEC) estimating 4.85 million vehicles on the roads nationwide [1][2]. Major arteries such as the Gyeongbu Expressway, linking Seoul to Busan, were especially gridlocked, echoing the standstill conditions reported throughout the holiday period [4]. The surge reflected both outbound departures from the capital and inbound arrivals from other provinces, each numbering roughly 350,000‑490,000 vehicles [1][2].

Travel Times on the Seoul‑Busan Corridor Remain Hours‑Long By 5 p.m., trips from Seoul to Busan took about five hours, to Daegu four hours, and to Daejeon two hours twenty minutes, while inbound journeys to Seoul at 8 a.m. required five hours twenty minutes from Busan and four hours twenty minutes from Daegu [1][2]. These figures show only modest improvement from the previous day’s seven‑hour outbound delay from Busan, indicating persistent bottlenecks despite the holiday’s end [3][4]. The KEC’s real‑time estimates underscore that even reduced volumes cannot fully alleviate the corridor’s capacity constraints.

Vehicle Volume Dropped Significantly From Fourth‑Day Peak The February 17 traffic surge reached an estimated 6.15 million vehicles, the highest level of the holiday, before falling to 4.85 million on February 18 [3][4][1]. Outbound traffic from Seoul decreased from 440,000 vehicles on the fourth day to 350,000 on the final day, while inbound flow rose slightly from 470,000 to 490,000 [1][2]. This decline aligns with the holiday’s scheduled conclusion, yet the remaining volume still strained the expressway system.

Inbound Traffic Projected to Ease After Midnight, Outbound Already Lightening KEC forecasts indicated inbound volumes would peak between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., then improve after 11 p.m., with clearance expected between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. [1][2]. Outbound congestion was expected to subside earlier, with traffic easing around 8 p.m. on the previous day and already showing no major jams on February 18 [1][4]. Authorities therefore advised travelers to expect lingering delays until late night, especially on the Gyeongbu route.

Holiday Schedule and Historical Congestion Context The Lunar New Year holiday, known locally as Seol, began over the weekend and ran through Wednesday, prompting the massive travel surge [2][4]. A photograph from February 13 showed the Gyeongbu Expressway already packed, illustrating typical holiday‑season congestion patterns [2]. These recurring bottlenecks highlight the need for continued traffic‑management measures during future holiday periods.