(LEAD) Traffic builds up on highways as people return to Seoul amid Lunar New Year holiday

Traffic on major highways built up nationwide Sunday, as millions of South Koreans started to return to Seoul on the third day of the four-day Lunar New Year holiday.People began making their way back to the nation's capital Sunday after spending Lunar New Year's Day on Saturday in their hometowns.According to the state-run Korea Expressway Corp., a drive from the southeastern port city of Busan to Seoul, 320 kilometers in distance, was expected to take about six hours and 20 minutes as of 5 p.m. From Gwangju, 267 km south of the capital, the drive was expected to take five hours and 20 minutes.Korea Expressway said traffic toward Seoul was expected to ease around 2-3 a.m. the next day.It estimated 5.15 million vehicles would hit the road Sunday.Source: Yonhap News Agency