South Korea Highways Jammed as Extended Holiday Begins

Earlier this year, the government designated Labour Day as a national holiday, allowing all workers to take the day off. If people take Monday off, they can enjoy up to five days of holiday including the weekend as Children's Day, another national holiday, falls on Tuesday this year.

More than six million vehicles were estimated to travel nationwide on Friday, with a drive from Seoul to the southeastern port city of Busan expected to take up to 9 hours and 10 minutes, according to the state-run Korea Expressway Corp, Yonhap News Agency reported.

A trip to the southwestern city of Gwangju was expected to take seven hours and 30 minutes while a drive to the eastern coastal city of Gangneung was estimated at six hours and 20 minutes at peak times.

The agency expected outbound traffic to ease from around 9 to 10 pm and inbound traffic to Seoul to ease from 10 to 11 pm.

Some 1.3 million people were estimated to be taking flights departing from or arriving at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, from the previous day through Tuesday amid a rise in demand for international trips during the extended holiday period, according to industry data.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday pledged unwavering commitment to workplace safety in his address to mark Labour Day at Cheong Wa Dae.

"I will neither compromise nor make concessions on workplace safety," he said, vowing to build a "normal" country where no worker ever has to risk their life at work.

"Safeguarding workers is the most basic responsibility of any nation and any business," he said.

The president also pushed back against the notion that worker welfare and business growth are incompatible, stressing the two are mutually dependent, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"We can only move forward by breaking free from the outdated thinking that being pro-business means being anti-worker," he said. "Growth has a future only when labour stands behind it" he said.

Amid growing concerns that artificial intelligence (AI) threatens jobs, the president sought to reassure the public that the government prioritises people over productivity.

"As technologies advance, the prevailing view is that machines powered by artificial intelligence will largely replace human labour," he said. "But it is not right to ask workers to sacrifice themselves in the name of productivity," he said, adding that growth that leaves workers behind is not growth at all.

Lee called workers "the backbone of our economy," who keep things running on the ground and drive the spending that fuels growth.

It marked the first time a Labour Day event has been held at Cheong Wa Dae. The event brought together some 130 participants, including key figures from labour, management and government, as well as workers from diverse occupations, to mark the occasion.

It also marked the first time two major umbrella labour unions -- the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions -- that are said to hold different political views both took part in such an event.

South Korea had initially observed Labour Day on May 1 before it was renamed "Workers' Day" in 1963. The government restored the name to Labour Day last year and designated it as a national holiday earlier this year, allowing all workers to take the day off.

In celebration of Labour Day, a variety of events took place across the country, highlighting the value of work and its role in improving quality of life and driving economic growth.

- IANS