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.

For those seeking an early start to the journey back to their hometowns for Seollal celebrations with family and friends, today is travel day.

Our correspondent Song Yoo-jin joins us live from a major transport hub here in Seoul.

Happy holiday, Yoo-jin!

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

Happy holiday to you too, Jung-min from 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.

The station is becoming increasingly more crowded, as we've been seeing 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.

In fact, we're seeing more and more notices on the big screens here that some trains are sold out.

Earlier, I spoke with some travelers about how excited they are for the holiday.

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."

"I haven't been able to visit my grandmother for quite a while because I've been preparing for a new job. I'm going to meet and tell her I'll do my best."

"The holiday is so long that I'm a bit worried about how to spend all that time with my daughter, but I think she'll be really happy to see her grandparents after such a long time."

Happy holiday plans!

Now, let's talk about numbers.

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.

And Yoo-jin, as our culture correspondent, I hear you have a special recommendation for those passing through Seoul Station.

That's right.

Just a short walk from here, in the old Seoul Station building, which first opened in 1925.

It operated as a railway station until 2003 but reopened in 2011 with a new name 'Culture Station Seoul 284' as a space for exhibitions, performances, and workshops.

Currently, two exhibitions are being held there, with no admission fee.

If you're in this area, it's worth checking out.

Or, stay tuned for my full report, which will air next Tuesday, just ahead of Seollal.

Back to you Jung-min.

That was our Song Yoo-jin live from Seoul Station.