"Groups of 5 or More Now Restricted"... Unrelenting Running Craze Leaves Citizens and Police Exhausted

20 Marathon, Running, and Walking Events Scheduled in Seoul This May
Unauthorized Nighttime Marathons Leave Safety Blind Spots
2,757 Police Mobilized and 498 Complaints Filed

On a weekend afternoon at the Ttukseom Hangang Park bike path in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, a group of about ten members of a running crew approached from behind, making hissing and shushing sounds as if urging people to move aside. Without a single word to ask for a proper way, they dashed back and forth between the walkway and the bike path, forcing citizens to hurriedly move to the edge of the path and causing cyclists to slow down or even stop. Lee Sojin (age 39), who was walking with her child, remarked, "These days, the Han River on weekends just feels like a running event venue," and added, "I can't tell if they're running with permission or just gathering informally."

Recently, as the running craze has grown, the number of marathons and running events in downtown Seoul and around Hangang Park has surged, leading to growing inconvenience for citizens. Even unauthorized, unapproved events have appeared, raising concerns about safety blind spots.

Last April, participants gathered at the starting line of a marathon event held in the Gwanghwamun area of Jongno-gu, Seoul. Recently, with the running craze, marathons and running events have been held across downtown Seoul, leading to growing controversy over traffic control, citizen inconvenience, and the burden of safety management. Photo by Hosoo Park

According to a compilation of reports by The Asia Business Daily on May 20, a total of 20 marathons, running, and walking events have been held or are scheduled to be held in Seoul in May 2026. This averages to about four events per week. The types of events have also diversified, ranging from marathons exclusively for women, to events combined with animation character games, 10-kilometer runs with a dating show concept, and walking events along the Han River and other streams. Large-scale running events are now taking place almost every week in areas such as Ttukseom Hangang Park in Gwangjin-gu and the Peace Park in Sangam, Mapo-gu.

In fact, the number of marathons held nationwide is also skyrocketing. According to the marathon information website ‘Marathon Online’, there were 530 marathons held across the country last year. This marks a steep increase compared to 346 in 2022, 354 in 2023, and 394 in 2024. With events happening more frequently, citizens are increasingly fatigued by the resulting traffic control in city centers. Baek Seongmin (age 42), an office worker who commutes to work near Gwanghwamun in Jongno-gu on weekends, stated, "Every weekend, my bus takes a detour and it takes 20 to 30 minutes longer than usual," and added, "I now check the marathon schedule before making any plans."

Related complaints have also surged. In Seoul, complaints regarding traffic congestion due to marathons numbered 15 in 2021 and 69 in 2022, but soared to 498 in 2023 and 461 last year.

The fatigue among police officers who are repeatedly deployed to traffic control sites is also mounting. According to data submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to Assemblyman Chae Hyunil of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, 2,757 police officers were mobilized in Seoul for marathon events last year. One police officer who was in charge of managing traffic for marathons in Seoul shared, "Setting up vehicle barriers and providing detour guidance has made weekend duty the norm during marathon season," and added, "There are many cases where citizens who did not see the advance notice protest or raise their voices at the scene, which makes the situation on the ground even more difficult."

There have even been cases of organizers attempting to hold events without approval from local governments or district offices. On May 16, the organizers of the Seoul Hangang Ultramarathon attempted to hold a nighttime marathon without permission. When the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced it was considering criminal charges and took a tough stance, the event was temporarily postponed. Afterward, a surge in participant inquiries led the organizers to temporarily close their official website before reopening it, and they have now announced that they will proceed with the first round of refunds for applicants until May 23. This event was held without approval from the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Hangang Future Headquarters last year as well. At the time, the participant scale was not large, so Seoul officials reportedly only became aware of the event after it had taken place.

On the 15th, a banner stating "The Seoul Hangang Ultramarathon is an unauthorized illegal event" was hung on the walking trail at Seoul Hangang Park. Seoul Hangang Ultramarathon official website

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government explained, "We first became aware of the event when participants at the Ttukseom drone show, which was organized by the city, asked at the information booth how to get through," and added, "Even then, we guided them to follow the proper application procedures in the future." Another city official pointed out, "Obtaining permission is not required for an individual to run along the Han River, but if you are recruiting participants and operating it as an event, it’s a different matter. Coordination and safety reviews are needed for every section of the Han River as well as each jurisdiction the event passes through."

Some district offices have implemented their own measures. Seocho-gu has restricted group running of five or more at Banpo Sports Complex, while Songpa-gu is recommending that groups of three or more refrain from running around Seokchon Lake. Seongbuk-gu is running a ‘single-file running’ campaign targeting running crews along the Seongbuk Stream. Starting this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is also moving the start times for city-hosted or sponsored marathons up to before 7:30 a.m., instead of the previous 8:00 to 9:00 a.m., and is limiting the number of participants for each location.

Experts argue that rather than suppressing running culture itself, clear notification and safety standards should be established for group running events above a certain scale. Kang Kyungwoo, a professor in the Department of Transportation and Logistics Engineering at Hanyang University, stated, "In major overseas cities such as New York or Boston, marathons are centered around a few symbolic events, and it is rare to see large-scale events in city centers every week as in Seoul," and added, "Since traffic congestion, administrative strain, and safety issues are recurring, it is necessary to disperse marathons to the outskirts of the city and to establish management standards for group running events."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.