Seoul to curb downtown marathons after road closures disrupt 190 bus routes

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will work with police and other agencies to review 2027 marathon schedules, routes, traffic diversions and safety plans in Seoul after downtown races disrupted traffic. The city said it will announce detailed arrangements in December and asked organizers to pause participant recruitment until consultations are complete. Sunday’s races led to diversions on 190 city bus routes. An amendment to the National Sports Promotion Act, effective April 21, will require advance safety-plan notifications for events with at least 1,000 participants.

The city reduced its sponsored marathons from 15 last year to seven this year, while central government-sponsored marathons rose from one to 23, according to Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

Sunday’s road closures extended from Gwanghwamun to Olympic Park and from Sangam to Yeouido, and traffic on alternative routes also ground to a halt.

The city said current law does not require marathons to obtain local government permits or approval, limiting its ability to oversee many events.

Under the amendment, local government heads will be able to request revisions to safety management plans submitted by organizers of events with 1,000 or more participants.

Published Nov 4, 2026 2:14 pm KST

Runners participate in the Seoul K-Marathon at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, March 29. Newsis

Seoul plans to tighten oversight of downtown marathons through a joint consultative body with police and other government agencies, responding to mounting complaints about road closures, traffic congestion, noise and litter.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it will work with city police authorities to review race schedules, routes, traffic diversions and safety management plans for 2027. Detailed arrangements will be announced in December.

Organizers preparing next year’s events were asked to refrain from recruiting participants until consultations on safety plans and traffic restrictions are complete.

“While we recognize the contribution marathons make to the health of many residents, the disruption caused by downtown races has recently become a growing concern for others,” said Cho Sung-ho, director general of the city’s tourism and sports bureau. “We ask event organizers to take the initiative and work with us to address the issue.”

The latest such disruption occurred on Sunday, when marathons prompted extensive road closures from Gwanghwamun to Olympic Park and from Sangam to Yeouido. A total of 190 city bus routes were diverted, with traffic on alternative routes also grinding to a halt.

Amid complaints, Mayor Oh Se-hoon acknowledged the disruption on social media.

“I take seriously the frustration and inconvenience residents faced during their precious weekend time,” Oh wrote in a post Monday. “The roads belong to all of us. I will remain committed to reducing disruption to residents.”

The city government introduced marathon guidelines earlier this year, bringing starting times forward to before 7:30 a.m. and setting participant caps for individual venues. It also reduced the number of city-sponsored races from 15 last year to seven this year.

However, the city said its efforts had been limited because marathons do not require local government permits or approval under the current law, and many are held with sponsorship from central government ministries. According to the mayor, central government-sponsored marathons increased from one last year to 23 this year.

City officials said a recently passed amendment to the National Sports Promotion Act will give local governments a greater role in overseeing large sporting events. Set to come into force on April 21, it will require organizers of events with 1,000 participants or more to notify local government heads of their safety management plans in advance. Those top officials will be able to request revisions to the plans.

首尔市政府将与警方及其他相关部门合作，审查2027年首尔马拉松的赛程安排、路线、交通改道方案和安全计划。此前，市中心马拉松比赛造成交通拥堵。市政府表示将于12月公布详细安排，并要求赛事组织方在磋商完成前暂停招募参赛者。周日的比赛导致190条城市公交线路改道。一项将于4月21日生效的《国家体育振兴法》修正案规定，参与人数超过1000人的赛事必须提前公布安全计划。

据市长吴世勋称，该市赞助的马拉松比赛数量从去年的 15 场减少到今年的 7 场，而中央政府赞助的马拉松比赛数量则从 1 场增加到 23 场。

周日的道路封闭范围从光化门延伸至奥林匹克公园，从上岩延伸至汝矣岛，其他路线的交通也完全停滞。

该市表示，现行法律不要求马拉松比赛获得地方政府的许可或批准，这限制了其监管许多赛事的能力。

根据该修正案，地方政府负责人可以要求对参与人数超过 1000 人的活动的组织者提交的安全管理计划进行修改。

发布于2026年11月4日下午2:14（韩国标准时间）

3月29日，跑者们在首尔市中心光化门广场参加首尔K-Marathon马拉松比赛。（Newsis）

首尔计划通过与警方和其他政府机构成立联合咨询机构，加强对市中心马拉松比赛的监管，以回应有关道路封闭、交通拥堵、噪音和垃圾等问题的日益增多的投诉。

首尔市政府周三表示，将与市警察部门合作，审查2027年赛事的日程安排、路线、交通改道措施和安全管理计划。详细安排将于12月公布。

组织者被要求在完成有关安全计划和交通管制措施的磋商之前，不要招募明年活动的参与者。

“我们认可马拉松运动对许多居民健康的贡献，但市中心比赛造成的干扰近来也引起了部分居民的担忧，”首尔市旅游体育局局长赵成浩表示，“我们呼吁赛事组织方主动与我们合作，共同解决这个问题。”

最近一次交通中断发生在周日，马拉松比赛导致从光化门到奥林匹克公园以及从上岩到汝矣岛的大片道路封闭。共有190条城市公交线路改道，其他替代路线的交通也几乎瘫痪。

面对各方抱怨，市长吴世勋在社交媒体上承认了此次骚乱。

“我非常重视居民们在宝贵的周末时间里所面临的沮丧和不便，”吴女士周一在一篇帖子中写道。“道路属于我们所有人。我将继续致力于减少对居民的干扰。”

今年早些时候，市政府出台了马拉松赛事指导方针，将起跑时间提前至早上7:30之前，并设定了各个赛场的参赛人数上限。此外，市政府主办的马拉松赛事数量也从去年的15场减少到今年的7场。

然而，市政府表示，由于现行法律规定马拉松比赛无需地方政府许可或批准，且许多比赛由中央政府部门赞助，因此其努力受到限制。据市长称，中央政府赞助的马拉松比赛数量从去年的1场增加到今年的23场。

市政府官员表示，最近通过的《国家体育促进法》修正案将赋予地方政府在监管大型体育赛事方面更大的权力。该修正案将于4月21日生效，届时将要求参与人数超过1000人的赛事组织者提前向地方政府负责人提交安全管理计划。这些负责人有权要求对计划进行修改。