Korea Waives Expressway Tolls Sept. 24-27 for Chuseok; Sept. 24 Morning Worst for Traffic
South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced its "2026 Chuseok Holiday Special Transportation Measures" on September 20. This year's Chuseok holiday is shorter than usual, so travel is expected to concentrate on specific days, and the ministry projects a total of 30.93 million trips nationwide during the measures period. Private cars will account for the largest share of travel, at 88.4%, so this advisory is especially worth a close look for anyone planning to drive a rental car around the country.
At a glance: Special transportation measures period September 23-27 (5 days) · Nationwide expressway tolls waived September 24-27 (4 days, including private expressways, tentative) · Heaviest homebound traffic expected the morning of September 24 (Seoul-Busan up to about 10 hours 30 minutes) · Heaviest return traffic expected the afternoon of September 25, Chuseok Day itself (Busan-Seoul up to about 9 hours) · An estimated 12.99 million people expected to travel on September 25 alone
The ministry said it will add 853,000 public transit seats above normal levels during this period, and from September 24 to 27 it will also cut fuel prices at expressway rest-stop gas stations by 100 won per liter from September 17 levels. Because homebound and return trips overlap within this short holiday, the ministry named the morning of the 24th as the peak for homebound traffic and the afternoon of the 25th, Chuseok Day itself, as the peak for return traffic.
If you're planning to travel around the country by rental car or intercity bus during this period, it's best to avoid departing on the morning of September 24, the busiest time. Taking the KTX or another train on the same route avoids road congestion entirely, and KTX fares are discounted 10% during this period, with some seats discounted up to 50%. If you're renting a car and driving yourself, it's also worth noting that expressway tolls nationwide, including private expressways, are waived from September 24 through 27, and rest-stop fuel prices are lowered as well.