Tolls on all expressways nationwide will be waived for four days during the Chuseok holiday, from the 24th through the 27th. Over the same period, fuel prices at 226 state-funded expressway gas stations run by the Korea Expressway Corporation will be cut by 100 won per liter.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 22nd that the measures were finalized at the 41st Cabinet meeting to ease the public's transportation costs during the holiday. The toll waiver applies to every vehicle that uses an expressway, even briefly, from midnight on the 24th until midnight at the end of the 27th.
The waiver works the same way as usual. Drivers using Hi-Pass lanes should keep their onboard device powered on, and it will announce that a toll of zero won has been processed as they pass through the tollgate. Drivers in regular lanes take a ticket at the entry tollgate and submit it at the exit tollgate, where the waiver is applied immediately.
The government has waived expressway tolls 14 times during Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays since 2017. About 1.045 trillion won ($752 million) in tolls has been waived for 403.18 million vehicles so far.
To ease fuel costs during the holiday, prices at the 226 state-funded expressway gas stations operated by the Korea Expressway Corporation — excluding stations on privately financed expressways — will be set 100 won per liter below their Sept. 17 levels for the duration of the holiday. As a result, average prices during Chuseok will be 1,744 won per liter for gasoline and 1,734 won for diesel.
Special traffic management measures will also be in place to handle heavy demand at rest areas and gas stations. Traffic flows for rest areas and gas stations will be separated, and congestion information will be provided in real time through variable message signs and other channels.
"We will build a cooperation framework with related agencies to prepare for rising demand near interchanges and other locations, and we will do our utmost in on-site management by closely monitoring traffic and fuel supplies," a ministry official said.
