Proactive traffic management for holiday travelers aims to ensure safe and smooth roads during the Chuseok season.
The South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency and the autonomous police commission said they will launch a special traffic management operation during the Chuseok holiday period, from Sept. 24 to Sept. 27, as heavy congestion is expected from vehicles traveling to and from hometowns.
This year's holiday period is four days — one day shorter than last year — meaning vehicle movement is expected to be concentrated over a briefer window. Police said they will implement a phased traffic management plan tailored to traffic volume and regional conditions.
In the first phase, running through Tuesday, officers will be deployed at traditional markets, hypermarkets, train stations and bus terminals, where traffic increases as people prepare for the holiday, to strengthen traffic flow management.
The second phase, covering Sept. 23 through Sept. 27, will focus on major roads including highways and routes to ancestral grave sites. Police will concentrate traffic officers on those corridors to maintain smooth flow and step up patrols and safety management at accident-prone sections and areas expected to see congestion.
For the operation, South Jeolla police will deploy a total of 1,567 officers — including traffic and community police — along with 709 vehicles and equipment, including patrol cars and motorcycle units.
Police will strictly enforce major traffic violations including drunk driving, speeding and signal violations. In addition to on-site enforcement, unmarked patrol cars will be used on regular roads, while highways will be monitored using unmarked cars, drones and helicopters.
From Jan. 1 through Aug. 31, traffic enforcement operations resulted in approximately 850,000 cases in total — including 3,309 drunk-driving cases, 57,683 citation disposals, 694,750 automated enforcement cases and 25,170 cases involving unmarked patrol cars.
Real-time traffic information, including detour routes, will be actively provided through TBN Traffic Broadcasting and electronic road signs to support safe and convenient travel.
"As holiday traffic is expected to concentrate on specific times and major roads, we will do our utmost to minimize congestion through expanded deployment and proactive traffic management, so that both residents and travelers can enjoy a safe and comfortable holiday," a South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency official said.
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