If Traffic Backs Up on Your Chuseok Trip Home, Check CCTV... See Open Hospitals and Airport Wait Times at a Glance [1-Day IT Pick]

[Financial News] If the highway is completely backed up during your Chuseok trip home, you do not have to simply follow the detour recommended by your navigation app. You can use your smartphone to view CCTV footage of the road ahead and check how severe the congestion is. Before leaving for an overseas trip, you can also check how crowded an airport departure hall is and find nearby hospitals that are open during the holiday with just a few searches.
Ahead of the long Chuseok holiday, NAVER and Kakao Mobility are rolling out useful features covering transportation, airports, hospitals, parking and travel. These are functions worth knowing about and trying at least once during the holiday.
■The navigation app explains not only the recommended route, but also why it was chosenAccording to industry sources on the 22nd, Kakao Navi's recent revamp added explanations of why a route was recommended, in addition to suggesting optimal routes that reflect accidents and traffic congestion.
The real-time CCTV feature is especially useful for trips home and return journeys during the holiday. When you enter a congested section, tap the notification bubble that appears on the screen to view CCTV footage of that area. Instead of relying solely on the red congestion indicator on the navigation screen, you can see for yourself how heavily traffic is backed up.
You can also review your driving habits during a long-distance trip. Kakao Navi's "Driving Life" feature displays your driving score and the number of speeding, hard-acceleration and hard-braking incidents.
A good score can also help reduce your insurance premium. If you have used Kakao Navi to drive at least 500 km over the past six months and meet a certain score requirement, you can receive a discount when purchasing or renewing auto insurance from a partner insurer. The number of partner insurers is expected to grow to four, adding KB Insurance and Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance to DB Insurance and AXA General Insurance.
If you are traveling without your own car, rental cars are another option. Kakao T Rental Car works with more than 500 small and midsized rental-car operators nationwide. Available vehicles include electric cars such as Tesla, Polestar and BYD, as well as premium vans for family travel, imported cars and camper vans.
If you are planning an overseas trip this Chuseok, you can check the airport situation before leaving home.
Search NAVER for "Incheon International Airport departure hall wait time" to see real-time waiting times for each departure hall. Searching for "Gimpo International Airport boarding time" shows the estimated total time from check-in to boarding. Congestion levels at major airports, including Gimhae International Airport, are also available.
You can also reduce the need to drive around the airport looking for a parking space. Real-time airport parking availability is provided, along with the operating hours and store locations of duty-free shops at Incheon International Airport and domestic and international flight information.
■If you suddenly get sick during the holiday... search NAVER for "hospitals open on public holidays"One of the most difficult situations during a long holiday is suddenly falling ill.
Searching NAVER for "hospital open on public holidays" or "24-hour hospital" provides a list of hospitals and clinics open during the holiday, along with their temporary hours. If you are involved in a traffic accident while traveling home or returning from the holiday, you can find hospitals covered by auto insurance and emergency rooms. Animal hospitals can also be searched for if your pet becomes ill.
There are also ways to save on parking fees. From the 24th through the 27th, about 9,000 public parking lots operated by public institutions, administrative agencies and schools nationwide will be open free of charge. Related information is available on NAVER.
If you cannot travel far, you can search for a day-trip destination. Searching for "places to visit during the holiday" brings up popular destinations along with reviews from people who have actually visited them. NAVER Travel Information offers travel itineraries by theme, while NAVER Hotels lets users compare accommodation prices from multiple booking sites at once.
[email protected] Jang Min-kwon, Choi Hye-rim Reporter