West Coast Expressway dominates top 5 worst traffic jams during last year's chuseok holiday

All five of the worst traffic congestion stretches on South Korea's expressways during last year's chuseok holiday were on the West Coast Expressway, data showed.

According to national audit materials submitted to the Korea Expressway Corporation on Saturday by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Hwang Hee of Yangcheon-gu, Seoul — a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee — the top five most congested segments during last year's chuseok holiday were all on the West Coast Expressway.

The stretch from Iljik Junction to Geumcheon Interchange, which connects Gwangmyeong and Seoul, suffered 67 hours of gridlock during the holiday period alone, ranking first nationwide. The segment has now claimed the dubious distinction of being the most congested stretch in the country for four consecutive major holidays: the 2024 Lunar New Year (41 hours), the 2024 chuseok (50 hours) and the 2025 Lunar New Year (43 hours).

The Seopyeongtaek Interchange to Poseung Junction stretch recorded 58 hours of congestion, followed by Seopyeongtaek Junction to Baran Interchange at 41 hours. Both the Seopyeongtaek Junction to Seopyeongtaek Interchange and the Dangjin Interchange to Songak Interchange segments each logged 35 hours of delays.

The West Coast Expressway has consistently been the most congested route during every chuseok holiday period since 2022.

Beyond the worsening traffic, expressway accidents also occurred repeatedly during the chuseok holiday periods.

A total of 61 expressway accidents were recorded over the past five chuseok holiday periods, leaving four people dead and 45 injured.

Inattentive driving was the leading cause, accounting for 31 cases. Speeding followed with eight cases, while failure to maintain a safe following distance and other driver-related factors each accounted for seven cases.

Drowsy driving was cited in four cases, with two attributed to other causes and one each to vehicle-related factors and jaywalking.

The most accident-prone time of day was between 9 a.m. and noon, with 13 incidents. The 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. window followed with 11 cases, and noon to 3 p.m. saw 10.

By year, the 2024 chuseok holiday recorded the highest number of accidents and casualties, with 17 crashes that left one person dead and 32 injured.

Inattentive driving was again the top cause with 11 cases, while speeding, failure to maintain a safe distance and other driver-related factors each accounted for two cases.