Seoul mayor says to review next year's marathons from 'scratch' after severe traffic disruptions

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Monday that next year’s marathon routes and schedules in Seoul will be reviewed from scratch after a race Sunday caused major traffic disruptions. He said the city will work with the central government, police and event organizers to reduce inconvenience. Oh noted that city-sponsored races fell to seven this year, while central-government-backed races rose to 23.

The city sponsored 15 marathons last year, compared with seven this year.

The number of marathons backed by the central government increased from one in 2025 to 23 this year.

Oh said marathon events are not subject to city approval.

Oh acknowledged that the city had not prevented large-scale inconvenience from the races.

Published Nov 2, 2026 3:04 pm KST

Participants in a marathon race event in Gangnam district, Seoul, begin their run, Oct. 5. Yonhap

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Monday that marathon races scheduled for next year in Seoul will undergo a review from "scratch," following persistent complaints over severe traffic disruptions.

A nationwide running boom in recent years has turned Seoul into a weekend hotspot for running events, but frequent road restrictions from the races have sparked growing public traffic complaints.

Oh addressed major traffic disruptions caused by a race Sunday, pledging an overhaul to races next year.

"Ultimately, we were not able to prevent large-scale inconveniences," Oh wrote on Facebook. "We will revisit the route and schedule for next year's events from scratch."

Oh said the city government cut the number of marathons it sponsored to seven this year from last year's 15, but the number of races backed by the central government jumped to 23 this year from just one in 2025.

He noted running events are not subject to city approval, and pledged to work with the central government, police and event organizers to minimize inconveniences.

首尔市长吴世勋周一表示，鉴于周日的马拉松比赛造成严重的交通堵塞，明年首尔马拉松的路线和赛程将进行全面审查。他表示，市政府将与中央政府、警方和赛事组织方合作，尽可能减少对公众造成的不便。吴世勋指出，今年首尔市政府主办的马拉松比赛减少到7场，而中央政府支持的比赛则增加到23场。

去年该市举办了 15 场马拉松比赛，而今年只有 7 场。

中央政府支持的马拉松赛事数量从 2025 年的 1 场增加到今年的 23 场。

Oh表示，马拉松赛事无需获得市政府批准。

吴承认，市政府未能阻止比赛带来的大规模不便。

发布于2026年11月2日下午3:04（韩国标准时间）

10月5日，首尔江南区马拉松比赛的参赛者们起跑。（韩联社）

首尔市长吴世勋周一表示，由于民众持续抱怨马拉松比赛会造成严重的交通堵塞，明年在首尔举行的马拉松比赛将进行“彻底”审查。

近年来，全国范围内的跑步热潮使首尔成为周末跑步赛事的热门地点，但比赛频繁造成的道路管制引发了越来越多的公共交通投诉。

Oh 就周日比赛造成的严重交通混乱问题作出回应，承诺明年将对比赛进行全面改革。

“最终，我们还是没能避免大规模的不便，”吴在脸书上写道。“我们将从头开始重新制定明年活动的路线和日程安排。”

Oh表示，市政府今年赞助的马拉松比赛数量从去年的15场减少到7场，但中央政府支持的比赛数量从2025年的1场跃升至今年的23场。

他指出跑步赛事无需市政府批准，并承诺与中央政府、警方和赛事组织者合作，尽量减少不便之处。