Seongsimdang’s waiting room is crowded with returning guests carrying shopping bags and holiday gift sets.

Seongsimdang’s waiting room is crowded with returning guests carrying shopping bags and holiday gift sets.

(Daejeon = Yonhap News) Reporter Byun Seon-jin = At 9:50 a.m. on the 23rd, the day before the Chuseok holiday. The inside of Daejeon Station Station, a transportation hub in the Chungcheong region, has been crowded with travelers heading to their hometowns since early on.

A variety of people walked by, from families holding children's hands, office workers in neat suits, and college students carrying large backpacks.

Each returning visitor was holding a holiday gift set, a large suitcase, and a ‘Seongsimdang’ shopping bag.

The electronic display board at the top of the ticket window was filled with ‘sold out’ signs for each major route, signaling the start of the full-scale homecoming transport.

There was a contrast between the expressions of people waiting to inquire about canceled tickets because they could not get train tickets and the expressions of citizens who showed up 1 to 2 hours earlier than the scheduled boarding time and waited leisurely while reading books.

Events organized for the holidays were also held inside the station.

Dozens of people lined up at the free rice cake and sikhye sharing event prepared by Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), and greetings of “Have a happy holiday” were exchanged, adding to the holiday atmosphere.

Mr. Kim (24), who is going down to Daegu, told Yonhap News, "I bought Seongsimdang Siru to give to my family. I sent a proof photo through KakaoTalk, and my family is already looking forward to it and loving it."

Hwang Jeong-hyeon (35), an office worker, said, “Because the holidays are short, I took two days of annual leave the day before the holiday and the day after the holiday,” and added, “I made a reservation for a high-end buffet out of filial piety to my parents.”

Returning passengers continued to visit the Daejeon Complex Terminal waiting room.

At the express bus platform, each bus waiting to depart had a luggage cart sticking out of the car, and holiday gift sets and Styrofoam ice boxes were piled on top of it.

Mr. Park (64), who was waiting for a bus to Muju, Jeollabuk-do with luggage wrapped in a wrapping cloth, smiled and said, “My grandson is about to turn 1 year old, and he is so cute.” He added, “It’s nice to go see my family after a long time.”

Shin (21), a college student who was waiting for a bus to Seoul, said, “I ran to the terminal as soon as the lecture ended,” and added, “I’m excited to go home and eat a warm home-cooked meal from my mom.”

Meanwhile, highway traffic appeared to be generally smooth.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 1 p.m. on this day, if you travel by car from Daejeon, it is expected to take 2 hours and 10 minutes to Seoul, 3 hours to Busan, 1 hour and 40 minutes to Daegu, 2 hours to Gwangju, and 3 hours and 10 minutes to Ulsan.