Traffic congestion has begun on some highways across the nation on the first day of the four-day Lunar New Year Holiday with travelers headed to their hometowns.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation(KEC), as of 8:20 a.m., there were some sections of slow traffic across the nation outside of Seoul.

It estimated that around three-point-eight million vehicles would be on the move on Thursday, with some 410-thousand leaving the greater Seoul area for other regions and 320-thousand vice versa.

The KEC said the traffic congestion for the day would likely peak between 11:00 a.m. and noon and ease between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m.

As of 9:00 a.m., it will likely take an estimated five hours and 30 minutes to drive from Seoul to the southeastern port city of Busan, four hours to the southwestern city of Gwangju, and three hours and 40 minutes to the northeastern city of Gangneung.