Kian84 criticises number of Seoul marathons that block roads on weekends
In short
Webtoon artist and TV personality Kian84 (기안84) said in a YouTube video posted on 19 October that Seoul hosts too many running races and that road closures jam traffic on weekends. Seoul Shinmun, citing National Assembly data from Seoul city, reported that approved marathons in Seoul rose from 53 in 2024 to 117 in 2026.
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Kian84 (기안84), a webtoon artist and TV personality, criticised the number of running races held in Seoul in a video posted on 19 October on the YouTube channel Insaeng84 (인생84). The video was titled "This episode I filmed and edited myself". In it he visited the home of actor Kwon Hwa-woon (권화운). [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Kian84 said that because so many races are held in Seoul, roads get badly jammed on weekends. He said he worried that people might think badly of running because of it. Kwon said that three races were being held at the same time, and Kian84 replied that the roads had all been blocked off. Kwon then asked what would happen if only the major races were held and efforts were concentrated on one, adding that the football World Cup is not held every week. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Dong-A Ilbo reported that Kian84 introduced Kwon as the fastest runner in show business, who had recently set a personal best of 2 hours 36 minutes despite having run for less than three years. Maeil Business reported that the two are friends who share an interest in running. [ 3 , 4 ]
Maeil Business, citing National Assembly data, reported that the number of marathons nationwide rose from 19 in 2020 to 49 in 2021, 142 in 2022 and 205 in 2023. It said 254 races were held in 2024, with more than 1 million participants. It also cited the site Korea Marathon (코리아마라톤) as counting 369 races scheduled nationwide in 2025, 120 of them in Seoul. [ 3 ]
Seoul Shinmun, citing data that Seoul city gave to Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sang-sik (이상식) of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, reported that marathons whose start and finish venues the city approved rose from 53 in 2024 to 94 in 2025 and 117 in 2026. Races involving large-scale road closures rose from 16 in 2024 to 31 in 2025 and 37 this year. Seoul city bus route diversions rose from 666 in 2024 to 1,446 in 2025, and reached 801 by June this year. [ 6 ]
Seoul city said it cut the number of races it sponsors from 15 last year to 7, but that races sponsored by the central government rose from 1 last year to 21 this year. Seoul Shinmun also reported that the city has applied marathon operation guidelines since January, including adjusted start times and stricter sponsorship criteria. A photo caption in the same article said central Seoul was emptied of traffic on the morning of 18 October by vehicle controls for the 2026 Asia Open Marathon. [ 6 ]
Maeil Business and Seoul Shinmun noted that Kian84 has shown his marathon attempts on the MBC programme "I Live Alone" (나 혼자 산다). Both reported that he completed his first full marathon in 2023, and Seoul Shinmun said he also completed the New York marathon in 2024. [ 3 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The reported figures show marathons and the traffic controls around them increasing over several years. Seoul city said it cut the number of races it sponsors from 15 to 7, while Seoul Shinmun reported that races sponsored by the central government rose from 1 to 21.
Key facts
- A video titled "This episode I filmed and edited myself" was posted on 19 October on the YouTube channel Insaeng84 (인생84), in which Kian84 visited the home of actor Kwon Hwa-woon (권화운). [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Kian84 said that because so many races are held in Seoul, roads get badly jammed on weekends, and that people may come to view running negatively because of it. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Kwon said three races were being held at the same time, and Kian84 replied that the roads had all been blocked off. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Kwon suggested holding only the major races and concentrating on one, noting that the football World Cup is not held every week. [ 1 , 3 , 6 ]
- Seoul Shinmun reported, citing data Seoul city gave to Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sang-sik (이상식), that marathons whose start and finish venues the city approved rose from 53 in 2024 to 94 in 2025 and 117 in 2026. [ 6 ]
- Maeil Business reported, citing National Assembly data, that marathons nationwide rose from 19 in 2020 to 254 in 2024, with more than 1 million participants in 2024. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kian84 criticised the number of running races in Seoul in a video posted on the YouTube channel Insaeng84 on 19 October. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Kian84 said roads get heavily congested on weekends because of the races and worried that people might view running negatively as a result. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Kwon Hwa-woon said three races were being held at the same time. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Which three races Kwon was referring to, and on which day they took place, is not stated. The articles quote Kwon's remark about three simultaneous races without naming the events or the date.
- The two sets of race counts measure different things and cannot be compared directly. Maeil Business gives nationwide marathon totals from National Assembly data and a count of scheduled races from the site Korea Marathon (코리아마라톤), while Seoul Shinmun gives the number of Seoul races whose venue use the city approved.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Chosun Ilbo published its report on Kian84's remarks on 19 October. [ 1 ]
- Korea Economic Daily published a report on 19 October. [ 2 ]
- Maeil Business published a report on 20 October. [ 3 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo published a report on 20 October. [ 4 ]
- Seoul Shinmun published a report on 20 October with figures on marathons and road controls in Seoul. [ 6 ]