This column underlines the issues and phenomena shaping Korean society, examining their background and what they mean.
People lacing up their shoes after work for a run along the Han River. Members of running crews weaving through the city every weekend. Runners counting down the days to marathon events held across the country. Running is changing the texture of daily life in South Korea. Once seen as a solitary way to build stamina, it has grown into a culture in which people share their times, form new relationships and express how they want to live.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 2025 national survey on sports participation, the share of people who exercise regularly and named running, jogging or marathons as their main activity rose to 7.7% in 2025 from 4.8% in 2024, a gain of 2.9 percentage points in a single year. The survey covered 9,000 people aged 10 and over nationwide. A Gallup Korea survey showed a similar trend, with the share of people who had jogged or run at least once a year rising steadily to 23% in 2021, 27% in 2022 and 32% in 2023. That survey polled about 5,000 people aged 13 and over nationwide, excluding Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. The sports industry estimates the country's running population at about 10 million.
What makes the running boom notable is that a single form of exercise is spreading into a broader cultural current. It is not only that more people are taking part. Clubs, races and the consumer market around them are all gaining momentum, and the culture surrounding running is diversifying. Social media is flooded with posts sharing times and experiences, and interest in running shoes, apparel and other gear is climbing. So what drew so many people to running in the first place?
No special equipment needed — how COVID-19 changed the way Koreans exercise
Running's biggest appeal is how easy it is to start. There is no gym membership to sign up for and no facility to book. With a pair of shoes, anyone can begin near home. Runners can set their own time and place with relative freedom, and adjust distance and pace to their own fitness. For people who struggle to carve out time to exercise in a busy day, it is a low-burden option.
The shift to outdoor exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand moved away from indoor facilities, is also cited as a driver. As interest in health grew, running drew attention as something people could keep up on their own without much difficulty.
A sense of accomplishment comes easily, too. At first, even short distances feel hard. But with repetition, runners can go a little farther and a little longer. Because progress shows up as numbers — times and distances — improvement is easy to verify. Being able to stack up small achievements without setting a grand goal is part of what keeps people coming back.
Running crews and social media amplify the pull of running together
Another force behind the boom is connection. Running crews have become spaces where people with similar interests run and socialize together. Exercising with others makes it easier to stay motivated, and beginners can learn from more experienced runners. In that sense, running is also a kind of social activity, a way to meet new people through exercise.
Social media has added to the momentum. Sharing distance, time and routes online has become routine. Posting a finish time or a post-run photo can spur others on and draw in new participants. As celebrities and influencers share their own running experiences, the activity has spread as a trend.
Still, the culture of running together and sharing results does not mean the same thing to everyone. For some, a running crew offers belonging and encouragement. For others, it becomes an uncomfortable place where times, appearance and gear are measured against others. Putting too much weight on the numbers and achievements posted online can leave runners more conscious of how they look to others than of the pleasure of the run itself.
Running times become numbers, and those numbers become spending
Running's popularity is reshaping the consumer market as well. The range of products has widened, from performance shoes, apparel and smartwatches to race entries and finisher medals. More people are upgrading gear to improve their times or entering races to earn the particular experience of crossing a finish line.
Spending on running has also become a means of self-expression. Shoes, the races a person enters and their times all signal personal taste and identity, while medals and souvenirs serve as symbols of effort and experience. Market research firm IMARC Group estimated South Korea's running equipment market at about $840 million in 2024, projecting growth to roughly $1.39 billion by 2033.
Gear and races can of course add to the enjoyment. But when spending and competition over times are emphasized too heavily, comparison with others can overtake the pleasure of the exercise itself. If the perception spreads that only those with expensive equipment or entries to popular races can properly enjoy running culture, the very advantage that made running accessible to anyone begins to fade.
Want to run but can't? The scramble for marathon entries
As the boom spreads, competition for spots in domestic marathons is intensifying. At the Chuncheon Marathon, one of the country's major races, the full-course field filled in five minutes and the 10-kilometer field in three. For the Seoul Marathon, also known as the Dong-A Marathon, the full course sold out 16 minutes after online registration opened and the 10-kilometer course in 45 minutes. Hence the refrain among runners that it is hard to get a race even when you are willing to pay.
With registration so competitive, more races are turning to lotteries to select participants. The JTBC Seoul Marathon, which was inundated with applicants every time registration opened, scrapped advance registration and adopted a lottery. One woman in her 20s who applied said she and four friends all entered and none were selected. "I had no idea the marathon was this popular," she said.
Entry fees are also becoming a burden. Running gained popularity as a high-value-for-money activity, but fees for major marathons are trending upward. Full-course entry for the Chuncheon Marathon and the JTBC Seoul Marathon rose to 150,000 won in 2026 from 100,000 won in 2025, while the 10-kilometer fee went to 100,000 won from 80,000 won. Even with souvenirs included, running communities complain the fees are steep. Cost is starting to obscure the very advantage that anyone can take up running.
More people are running — but who is responsible for safety?
As the running population grows, conflicts over the use of public space and questions of safety have emerged as problems to solve. In parks and along riverside paths, runners and pedestrians share the same routes. Forcing a pass in a narrow space, or running several abreast, raises the risk of collisions.
Large marathons involve far more to consider. Traffic control, spreading participants across courses, operating water stations and providing medical support for emergencies all have to work together. Temperature, humidity and a participant's own fitness can produce emergencies such as exhaustion or heat-related illness.
Participants need to adjust distance and pace to their own fitness and be considerate of others using the same space. Organizers should prepare safety measures suited to the size of the field and the conditions of the course, while local governments and relevant agencies need to manage road closures and reduce disruption for residents.
Blanket restrictions on running are not the answer, nor is asking the public to accept inconvenience and risk because running happens to be popular. Guidance and operations should be improved so that runners and pedestrians can share public space, and safety management standards should be set in proportion to the size of events. As the running population grows, so does the importance of building an environment where anyone can run with confidence.
Beyond a boom, toward a habit: why do we run?
The running boom began with the desire to look after one's health and expanded into relationship-building, self-expression and a consumer culture. Anyone can start, but the reasons differ. Some lace up to cut their times, some to be around other people, and others to step away from a crowded day and claim a little time of their own.
Running is both a way to manage health and a way to connect with others. It is also an activity that delivers a sense of accomplishment through setting a goal and reaching it. As competition over times meshes with consumer culture, new industries and new culture are taking shape. In this way, running has moved beyond mere exercise to become an activity that holds each person's desires and way of living.
Exercising safely while sharing space with others matters, too. For running to settle in as a culture rather than pass as a fad, consideration for one another is needed. Rather than focusing only on times or competition, people should be able to enjoy running in their own way. For running to remain a sport open to everyone, the costs, the environment and the broader culture around it all deserve attention.
