Traffic smooth ahead of Lunar New Year

(ATTN: UPDATES with highway authorities' report as of 3 p.m.; ADDS quote)
SEOUL, Feb. 13 (Yonhap) -- Traffic on South Korea's major roads Saturday was not
as jammed as expected ahead of the Lunar New Year day that falls on Sunday this
year, highway authorities said.

Earlier in the day, slight snowfall disrupted several main roads leading into and
out of the capital as millions of Koreans started their journeys to hometowns
across the country to celebrate the festival.
"Traffic is slow on some sections of highways but is faster than normal weekends
in general," an official at the Korea Expressway Corp. said. "If this trends go
on, no major congestion is expected later in the day with home-bound traffic
evenly split on several highways," the official added.
Nearly 200,000 vehicles left the Seoul as of 3:00 p.m., the first day of the
holiday period that stretches into Monday, according to highway authorities.
They said an additional 140,000 vehicles are expected to leave the capital city
later in the day.
Koreans traditionally gather in hometowns or ancestral villages during the Lunar
New Year to pay tribute to their ancestors.
More than around 25 million people are expected to travel during this year's
holiday period, according to the transportation ministry.
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)