On the second day of the Chuseok holiday period, the mass exodus of city dwellers heading to hometowns accelerates, bringing traffic to a crawl across the nation.

The Korea Highway Corporation said that beginning Sunday morning, the flow of vehicles heading south from Seoul on the nation's major highways has noticeably slowed down.

The state-run agency said that the Gyungbu Highway, it took at least seven hours from Seoul to the southern port city of Pusan, more than three to Daejon and five to six hours Gwangjoo city.

The corporation estimated that as of Sunday morning, some 117,000 automobiles have left the capital. An official at the agency forecast a total 330,000 would get out of Seoul by the end of the day, which is expected to be the peak traveling time.

The Korean thanksgiving holiday lasts until next Wednesday.