Marathon Traffic Restrictions Every Weekend... Oh Sehoon: "We'll Renegotiate Courses and Schedules from Square One"

Last week's race... "190 city bus routes detoured"
"Sought to minimize inconvenience... but failed despite discussions"
Seoul faces limits acting alone... "Develop fundamental solutions"

As marathon races have been held one after another in downtown Seoul, intensifying public complaints over traffic restrictions, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon said, "We will go back to the drawing board and discuss the courses and schedules for next year's races."

In a Facebook post on Nov. 2, Mayor Oh said, "Yesterday, major roads across Seoul were extensively blocked off, from Gwanghwamun to Olympic Park and from Sangam to Yeouido. A total of 190 city bus routes were diverted one after another, and even the detours were gridlocked with traffic."

Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon conducts an on-site inspection ahead of Halloween at the Hongdae Tourist Zone in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 29, 2026. Photo by Kang Jinhyeong

He bowed his head, saying, "I take seriously the frustration and inconvenience citizens must have experienced on a precious weekend morning."

Mayor Oh said, "I fully understand that this marathon is a long-awaited annual festival for runners," but added, "We asked the organizers several times to adjust the course and held discussions to minimize inconvenience to citizens, but ultimately failed to prevent widespread disruption."

He also outlined the city's efforts to reduce inconvenience to residents. Mayor Oh explained, "Earlier this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government established marathon guidelines and cut the number of city-sponsored races by more than half, from 15 last year to 7 this year. We moved start times earlier, to before 7:30 a.m., set limits on the number of participants at each venue, and brought forward the time when traffic restrictions for half-marathon courses are lifted, from 11:30 a.m. last year to between 10:30 and 11 a.m. this year."

He added, "Despite the Seoul Metropolitan Government's efforts, the number of races sponsored by the central government surged from 1 last year to 23 this year, bringing the number of large-scale traffic restrictions to more than 30 this year. It would be hard to find another major city that so frequently closes downtown roads to hold marathons."

However, he noted that marathons do not require local government approval and that the police, not the Seoul Metropolitan Government, have the authority to restrict roads, limiting what the city can do on its own. Mayor Oh asked marathon organizers, including media companies and public institutions, to "give serious consideration to the inconvenience citizens will face when deciding whether to sponsor or hold a race." He added, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government will also work with the central government, the police and event organizers to develop fundamental solutions."

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