Traffic surged on Korea's expressways nationwide Sunday, the second day of the five-day traditional holiday of Chuseok.

Hundreds of thousands of cars left Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi Province and bus terminals, train stations and airports were crowded with people heading to their hometowns, according to the Korea Expressway Corp.

Around 3.86 million vehicles were on the roads across the country on Sunday, with 470,000 leaving Seoul for other parts of the country, the agency said.

 

Hitting the road from Seoul as of 1 p.m., the drive to the southeastern city of Busan took five hours, 20 minutes, slightly longer than usual, it said. The agency said the volume of traffic will ease starting between 7 and 8 p.m.

As a major traditional holiday, Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, serves as a chance for family members to get together to give thanks and pay tribute to their ancestors by preparing a meal and visiting graves.

Chuseok is celebrated on Aug. 15 in the lunar calendar, which falls on Monday this year, with the holidays running through Wednesday.(Yonhap)