Expressways in Korea began with the Seoul-Incheon line, which opened in 1968. As of 2022, there were 4,238 km of expressways with 45 lines. The expressway network was built with the aim of allowing drivers to reach the expressway from any part of the country within 30 minutes. South Korea is a small country, 450 km from north to south and 290 km from east to west, so this goal was almost achieved. Korea has 70% mountainous terrain and many rivers, so many bridges and tunnels have been used to build expressways.