South Korea Waives All Expressway Tolls for Four Days Over Chuseok Holiday

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has exempted all vehicles from tolls on the country’s expressways for the 2026 Chuseok holiday, from 00:00 on Thursday 24 September to 24:00 on Sunday 27 September. The decision was published as Notice No. 2026-519 in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea No. 21328 of 23 September 2026, in the notices section. It applies to every vehicle entering and leaving an expressway toll gate during that four-day window.

The exemption is issued under Article 15(3) of the Toll Road Act and Article 8(2) of the enforcement decree of the same law, and was signed by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on 23 September 2026. The gazette is published by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in Sejong.

The scope of the measure, as set out in the notice, is as follows:

• Exempted routes: all national expressways, including privately financed expressways.
• Excluded routes: toll roads managed by local governments are not covered.
• Exemption period: 00:00 on Thursday 24 September to 24:00 on Sunday 27 September 2026.
• Eligible vehicles: every vehicle entering and leaving an expressway toll gate during the exemption period.
• Other conditions: no changes.

Drivers use the network exactly as usual

The notice states that motorists should use the expressways in the same way as on any other day, with no registration, application or special procedure required. Vehicles using Hi-pass lanes must have an on-board unit installed and switched on. Drivers using conventional lanes must collect a ticket at the entry toll gate and hand it in at the exit toll gate.

The final item of the notice records that there are no other changes to the arrangement. The gazette entry also lists inquiry telephone numbers for the measure: (044) 205-1492 and (044) 205-1493.

A four-day window covering the whole holiday

The exemption runs from the eve of Chuseok through the Sunday that closes the long weekend, covering the outbound and return peaks of the holiday travel period. Because it applies to all vehicles rather than to a defined category of users, it reaches private cars, buses, vans and freight trucks alike, and it extends to privately financed expressways that normally charge their own rates.

The only carve-out is the network of toll roads operated by local governments, which remains subject to its own charging rules. The notice does not alter those arrangements.

Impact on travellers and freight operators

The measure removes toll costs for the entire holiday travel window, directly affecting households travelling to family gatherings and the logistics operators that keep freight moving through the same period. For freight companies, the four-day exemption applies to every trip made within the window, not to a single journey, which lowers operating costs across repeated runs on the same routes.

Because the exemption is automatic and requires no application, drivers do not need to take any action beyond normal use of the toll gates. The notice takes effect on the terms published in the Official Gazette of 23 September 2026, one day before the exemption period begins.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea (관보), No. 21328, 23 September 2026, notices section (official reference: 국토교통부고시 제2026-519호).