Live from Seoul Station: Seollal holiday travel season starts in Korea

Korea is looking ahead to an extended lunar new year holiday starting this weekend and for those seeking an early start to the journey back home for Seollal celebrations with family and friends in their hometowns today is travel day.

That being said I have my colleague Song Yoo-jin joining me live from a major transport hub here in Seoul.

Yoo-jin welcome.

So what's the latest on the hustle and bustle where you are?

Sunny, I'm at Seoul Station, the busiest train station in Korea.

Today is the eve of the six-day Seollal holiday if we include the upcoming weekend.

Seollal is one of Korea's two biggest holidays, the other being Chuseok, often called the Korean Thanksgiving.

As such, it's a time when many people either head to their hometowns or travel elsewhere.

While cars remain the most common form of transport for domestic trips, train stations like this one offer the clearest snapshot of the holiday travel rush.

The station isn't overly crowded at the moment, but we expect a significant influx of travelers after 6 PM when most people will have finished work.

According to the latest data from the country's state-run railway operator, as of 3 PM, more than 76 percent of nearly 3-hundred-40-thousand available train tickets from this train station have already been booked.

Earlier, I had a chance to speak with some holiday travelers.

Take a listen.

"I want to relax with my family. I've been quite busy leading up to this holiday, so I want to visit cafes and travel with them."

"Right now, I'm living with a host family so I'm thinking maybe with my host family maybe I'll make tteokguk or I think maybe we may vacation a little bit outside of Seoul maybe to Everland. I'll see what happens. But I also have some friends here so I think I may hang out with them."

Right it's family and friends for most people during Seollal.

Now let's talk about numbers Yoo-jin .

How many people are projected to travel and WHEN would be ideal?

Ahead of every Seollal, the Transport Ministry announces a 'special transportation measures period.'

This year, it spans 10 days, starting today and lasting through next Sunday, February 2nd.

For those taking next Friday off, this means a potential nine-day break.

The Korea Transport Institute estimates that a total of 34 million people will take to the roads, skies, and other forms of transport during these 10 days.

That's an increase of nearly 8 million compared to last year when the transportation period was just five days.

The institute predicts that Seollal Day itself, next Wednesday, will be the busiest in terms of volume, with approximately 6 million people traveling.

But it seems that the days just before and after Seollal Day will also be difficult to move, as an online survey conducted by the institute shows that Tuesday morning is the most preferred time for starting trips, while Thursday afternoon, is expected to be the most popular time for returning home.

To ease the burden for travelers, motorway tolls will be lifted from Monday to Thursday.

Discounts will be offered for train tickets and snacks at highway rest stops.

If you're planning your schedule this holiday season, keep this in mind.

Back to you, Sunny.

All right Yoo-jin thank you for the latest on the Seollal travel here in Korea.

And YOO-JIN happy holidays!

Happy holiday!