SHINee's Minho gives up marathon record after pacemaker controversy, but fans rally behind him

SHINee member Minho completed his first full marathon at the 2026 JTBC Seoul Marathon in Seoul on Sunday, but surrendered his official finishing time after footage showed a fellow runner apparently pushing him. He apologized on Tuesday, and the race organizer accepted his decision. Online reactions were divided, while many fans praised his response and expected him to try again for a sub-three-hour finish.

Minho finished the 42.195-kilometer course in three hours and 18 seconds, 18 seconds short of his sub-three-hour goal.

Minho said the fellow runner, Jun-hyung, had served as his pacemaker and helped him maintain his pace.

Rules established by the Korea Association of Athletics Federations and World Athletics may treat physical assistance from another person during a race as prohibited assistance.

Minho said he felt ashamed and apologized for causing concern, adding that he loves and respects sports.

Fans cited Minho’s stories about competing in Marine Corps parachute training alongside Republic of Korea Navy Underwater Demolition Team members as evidence of his competitive nature.

Published Nov 5, 2026 2:13 pm KST

SHINee member Minho has surrendered his marathon finishing time and apologized after footage showed a fellow runner apparently pushing him during a race. Yet rather than turning against the K-pop star, many fans are praising his response and predicting that his famously competitive spirit will drive him to return stronger.

Minho completed his first full marathon at the 2026 JTBC Seoul Marathon, held at Sangam World Cup Park in Seoul on Sunday. He finished the 42.195-kilometer course in three hours and 18 seconds, narrowly missing the coveted "sub-three" milestone of completing a marathon in under three hours.

Despite falling just 18 seconds short of his goal, Minho celebrated the experience and expressed his determination to try again.

He also thanked a fellow runner who had helped him maintain his pace throughout the race.

"I was able to achieve a good time thanks to Jun-hyung, who served as my pacemaker," he said.

Minho / Captured from YTN

However, controversy erupted after a video circulated online showing the pacemaker placing his hand on Minho's lower back and apparently pushing him forward during the race.

Some online users accused Minho of violating marathon regulations, citing technical rules established by the Korea Association of Athletics Federations and World Athletics. Under those rules, receiving physical assistance from another person during a race may constitute prohibited assistance.

As criticism spread, Minho issued a public apology on Tuesday and voluntarily gave up his official finishing time. The race organizer accepted his decision.

"Everything happened because of my own shortcomings, and as someone who loves and respects sports, I feel deeply ashamed. I apologize for causing concern," he said.

The incident sparked divided reactions online.

Some users criticized what they considered preferential treatment for a celebrity.

"What a royal marathon experience. Was there someone carrying his water bottle, too?" one commenter said.

Another questioned the argument that the assistance should be overlooked because Minho was not a professional athlete.

"People saying it's fine because he's an amateur are the strangest. Most Olympic track and field athletes are amateurs, too. Would it be acceptable to push them during a race?" the commenter said.

Others, however, argued that the backlash was excessive, particularly given that Minho was participating as a recreational runner rather than a professional competitor.

"People are making such a big deal out of something so minor," one user said.

"He's not a professional athlete. He's just an ordinary participant, so why does it matter?" another said.

Beyond defending Minho, many fans praised his decision to acknowledge the controversy rather than attempt to justify the assistance he received.

"I think Minho handled the situation wisely," one commenter said. "Anyone who has trained for marathons knows how much support even a hand on the lower back can provide when you're exhausted, especially on an uphill stretch. Since the assistance lasted more than just a moment, it's difficult to argue against the criticism. But I believe he'll achieve an even more impressive sub-three finish next time."

Other comments included, "It's disappointing, but he handled it cleanly. Keep going, Minho," and "It's better to settle the matter properly than have the controversy follow him around."

Minho's posting on social media

Fans expect fiercely competitive Minho to come back stronger

Minho's reputation for intense competitiveness has become a major talking point among fans following the controversy.

The SHINee member, who completed his mandatory military service in the Marine Corps, has frequently shared stories demonstrating his determination to outperform even highly trained athletes.

During a previous appearance on MBC's talk show "Radio Star," Minho recalled participating in parachute training alongside members of the Republic of Korea Navy's Underwater Demolition Team (UDT), an elite special operations unit.

"The UDT members came to the Marine Corps for parachute training, and they were incredibly good at running," he said.

"At one point, I realized I was the only Marine running among the UDT members. I eventually finished fourth, and the UDT members who came in behind me got scolded."

His energetic personality was also evident during an appearance on MBC's reality show "Home Alone," also known as "I Live Alone," where he shared how he had taken up bonsai cultivation to develop greater patience.

"I've always been so active that I found it difficult to sit still. I thought I needed to become calmer," he said.

For fans familiar with his personality, the marathon controversy has only strengthened expectations that he will train harder and attempt another sub-three finish.

"Knowing Minho's personality, he'll probably acknowledge what happened without making excuses and challenge himself again," one commenter said.

"With Minho's personality, he'll probably grit his teeth and come back determined to finish first next time," another said.

Others suggested that the physical assistance may not have been something Minho requested.

"I don't think Minho is the type to ask someone to push him. It seems like the other runner was just trying to encourage and help him, but it's unfortunate things turned out this way," one user said.

Another commenter said Minho likely decided that keeping a disputed record was not worth the criticism.

"He probably thought it would be better not to have the record recognized than to keep it under these circumstances. That seems consistent with his personality. The more I see of him, the more I like him."

Although Minho's first marathon ended with his official time withdrawn, the response from supporters suggests that many are already looking forward to his next attempt at breaking the three-hour barrier.

This article from Xportsnews was adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

SHINee成员珉豪周日在首尔举行的2026年JTBC首尔马拉松赛上完成了他的首个全程马拉松，但由于一段视频显示一名跑者疑似推搡他，他放弃了官方成绩。周二，他公开道歉，赛事组织方也接受了他的决定。此事在网上引发了不同的反应，许多粉丝称赞他的回应，并期待他再次挑战，争取三小时内完赛。

珉豪以 3 小时 18 秒的成绩完成了 42.195 公里的赛程，比他 3 小时以内的目标少了 18 秒。

珉豪说，他的队友俊亨担任了他的领跑员，帮助他保持速度。

韩国田径联合会和世界田径联合会制定的规则可能将比赛期间来自他人的身体帮助视为禁止的帮助。

珉豪表示他感到羞愧，并为引起大家的担忧道歉，并补充说他热爱和尊重体育运动。

粉丝们引用珉豪与韩国海军水下爆破队成员一起参加海军陆战队跳伞训练的故事，来证明他好胜的性格。

发布于2026年11月5日下午2:13（韩国标准时间）

SHINee成员珉豪在马拉松比赛中被一名跑者推搡后，公开承认了自己的完赛成绩并公开道歉。然而，许多粉丝并没有因此而指责这位韩国流行歌手，反而称赞他的回应，并预测他一贯的好胜心会激励他以更强的姿态回归。

周日，珉豪在首尔上岩世界杯公园举行的2026年JTBC首尔马拉松赛上完成了他的首个全程马拉松。他以3小时18秒的成绩跑完了42.195公里的赛程，与令人梦寐以求的“三小时以内”的马拉松里程碑擦肩而过。

尽管距离进球仅差 18 秒，但珉豪仍然庆祝了这次经历，并表达了再次尝试的决心。

他还感谢了一位在比赛中帮助他保持速度的跑友。

“多亏了俊亨，他就像我的起跑器一样，我才能取得好成绩，”他说。

Minho / 截图来自 YTN

然而，一段在网上流传的视频引发了争议，视频显示领跑员在比赛中将手放在珉豪的下背部，并明显地推着他向前跑。

一些网友指责珉豪违反了马拉松比赛规则，并援引了韩国田径联合会和世界田径联合会制定的技术规则。根据这些规则，在比赛期间接受他人的身体帮助可能构成违规帮助。

随着批评声浪蔓延，珉豪周二发表公开道歉声明，并主动放弃了官方完赛成绩。赛事组织方接受了他的决定。

“这一切都是由于我自身的不足造成的，作为一个热爱和尊重体育运动的人，我深感羞愧。我为给大家带来的担忧表示歉意。”他说道。

该事件在网上引发了截然不同的反应。

一些用户批评了他们认为是对名人的特殊待遇。

“真是皇家马拉松体验啊！有人还帮他拿着水壶吗？”一位网友评论道。

另有人质疑，认为因为米诺不是职业运动员，所以应该忽略这种帮助。

“那些说因为他是业余选手所以没关系的人真是太奇怪了。大多数奥运田径运动员也都是业余选手。难道在比赛中推搡他们就可以接受了吗？”评论者说道。

然而，也有人认为这种反弹过头了，特别是考虑到珉豪是以业余跑者的身份参加比赛，而不是职业选手。

一位用户说：“人们对这么小的事情反应过度了。”

“他又不是职业运动员，只是个普通参赛者，这有什么关系呢？”另一个人说道。

除了维护珉豪之外，许多粉丝也称赞他选择正视争议，而不是试图为自己所受到的帮助辩解。

一位评论者说：“我认为珉豪处理得非常明智。任何跑过马拉松的人都知道，当你筋疲力尽时，哪怕只是一只手扶在腰上，都能提供多大的帮助，尤其是在上坡路段。既然这种帮助持续了不止一瞬间，那么很难反驳这些批评。但我相信他下次能取得更令人印象深刻的三小时以内的成绩。”

其他评论包括：“虽然令人失望，但他处理得很好。继续加油，珉豪！”以及“与其让争议一直困扰着他，不如妥善解决问题。”

珉豪在社交媒体上的帖子

粉丝们期待着极具竞争力的珉豪强势回归。

在这次争议之后，珉豪好胜心极强的名声成为了粉丝们热议的话题。

这位 SHINee 成员曾在美国海军陆战队服完义务兵役，他经常分享一些故事，展现了他力求超越训练有素的运动员的决心。

在之前参加 MBC 脱口秀节目《Radio Star》时，珉豪回忆起曾与韩国海军水下爆破队（UDT，一支精英特种作战部队）的成员一起参加跳伞训练。

他说：“UDT成员来到海军陆战队接受跳伞训练，他们的跑步能力非常出色。”

“有那么一会儿，我意识到我是水下爆破队成员中唯一一个跑步的海军陆战队员。我最终获得了第四名，排在我后面的水下爆破队成员都受到了训斥。”

他在 MBC 电视台的真人秀节目《我独自生活》（又名《我独自生活》）中也展现了他充满活力的个性，他在节目中分享了自己如何通过种植盆栽来培养更大的耐心。

“我一直都很活跃，很难静下心来。我觉得我需要变得更平静一些，”他说。

对于熟悉他个性的粉丝来说，马拉松争议只会更加坚定他们对他更加努力训练并力争再次跑进三小时的期望。

一位评论者说：“了解珉豪性格的人都知道，他可能会承认发生的事情，不会找借口，然后再次挑战自己。”

“以珉豪的性格，他可能会咬紧牙关，决心下次一定要拿第一，”另一位网友说道。

其他人则认为，米诺可能并没有要求获得身体上的帮助。

一位用户表示：“我不认为珉豪是那种会主动要求别人推他的人。看起来另一位跑者只是想鼓励和帮助他，但很遗憾事情会变成这样。”

另一位评论者表示，珉豪可能认为，维持一项有争议的纪录不值得承受批评。

“他可能觉得，在这种情况下，与其保留纪录，不如不让纪录被认可。这似乎符合他的性格。我越了解他，就越喜欢他。”

虽然珉豪的第一次马拉松比赛以官方成绩被取消而告终，但支持者的反应表明，许多人已经期待他下次尝试突破三小时大关。

本文原载于 Xportsnews，经人工智能生成系统改编，并由《韩国时报》编辑。