More than 30 million people will embark on the annual Chuseok mass migration ahead of the four-day holiday. With large crowds of travelers heading to and returning from their hometowns expected at expressways and airports, telecommunications and platform companies are also preparing. The three mobile carriers are launching 24-hour network management using AI, while platform companies are expanding information services needed during the holiday, covering transportation, medical care, airports and parking.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) on the 22nd, the government designated the five-day period from the 23rd through the 27th as a special Chuseok transportation measures period. A total of 30.93 million people are expected to travel nationwide during this period. That amounts to an average of 6.19 million travelers per day, with passenger cars expected to account for the vast majority of trips at 88.4%.
Roads are also expected to be heavily congested as passenger-car travel intensifies. Average daily expressway traffic during the holiday is forecast to reach 6.05 million vehicles, up 11.8% from last year's 5.41 million. Traffic is expected to peak on the morning of the 24th for trips to hometowns and on the afternoon of the 25th for return trips. The government will waive expressway tolls from the 24th through the 27th and offer a 100-won-per-liter discount on gasoline and diesel at 226 gas stations managed by the Korea Expressway Corporation.
Airports will also see a surge in travelers. Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) expects a total of 810,000 people to use flights at 13 airports nationwide, excluding Incheon International Airport and Muan International Airport, from the 23rd through the 27th. The daily average of 160,000 passengers would represent a 2% increase from last year. A total of 4,850 flights are scheduled to operate. KAC will flexibly operate identity and security screening checkpoints during peak hours and add 6,605 temporary parking spaces.
Telecommunications companies have also entered a special management mode to prepare for increased network traffic resulting from the mass movement of people. SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus are conducting advance inspections of networks in high-traffic areas such as expressways, rest areas, railway stations and airports, while carrying out intensive monitoring during the holiday. They will use AI to monitor traffic and equipment conditions in real time and respond to signs of trouble.
SK Telecom will deploy a cumulative total of 3,625 personnel, including staff from its affiliates and partner companies, to monitor nationwide networks around the clock. With peak hourly data usage on Chuseok Day expected to rise 10.3% above normal, the company has expanded base-station capacity in areas where traffic is concentrated, including expressways, ancestral grave sites, and tourist and recreational facilities. It will also monitor anomalies in real time using its wireless network AI operating system, "A-One," and core network AI integrated monitoring system, "Spider."
KT inspected telecommunications quality at major transportation hubs, including expressways, railway stations, airports and bus terminals, and completed optimization of base-station capacity. It will closely monitor base stations in major resort areas around the clock and strengthen security monitoring against smishing and cyberattacks. The company also inspected mobile generator trucks and portable generators in preparation for power outages.
LG Uplus will also use AION, an AI-based autonomous network platform. It conducted advance inspections and completed quality optimization for 5G and LTE base stations at expressways, rest areas, KTX and SRT stations, bus terminals and airports. It also expanded cache-server capacity in preparation for increased use of U+tv and online video streaming services (OTT).
While the telecommunications industry is focusing on network stability in response to rising usage, the platform industry is expanding transportation and everyday-life information needed for trips to and from hometowns.
TMAP Mobility is analyzing Chuseok traffic flows based on data from more than 27 million TMAP users and providing information on peak congestion periods for trips to hometowns and return journeys. Kakao Mobility's Kakao Navi offers the "reason for real-time optimal route recommendations," reflecting accidents and congested sections, and allows users to view real-time closed-circuit TV (CCTV) footage from congested areas. Its "Driving Life" service also provides driving scores based on the number of instances of speeding, sudden acceleration and sudden deceleration.
NAVER has brought together essential everyday-life information for the holiday through its search and Place services. Searching for "Chuseok" allows users to find hospitals and pharmacies open during the holiday period, while Naver Place provides information on hospitals, pharmacies, veterinary hospitals and emergency medical institutions that operate on public holidays or 24 hours a day.
It also provides transportation-related information. Users can check waiting times at the departure hall of Incheon International Airport, boarding times at Gimpo International Airport, airport parking and flight information, as well as routes, schedules and fares for coastal passenger ferries. From the 24th through the 27th, NAVER Map and Search will also provide information on roughly 9,000 public parking lots operated by public and administrative institutions and schools nationwide that will be opened free of charge.
Moon Ji-yeon
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
