‘Mourning run’ or clout chase? South Korea divided over runner’s death tributes

South Korean social media posts displaying users’ running records to honour a local woman who died at a Seoul marathon have raised debate over the appropriateness of the gesture for mourning.

Yoo Ji-won, a 25-year-old graduate student at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science Technology, collapsed just 500 metres (1,600 feet) from the finish line of the 2026 Seoul Race half-marathon on October 11, local media reported. The cause of her death has not been disclosed.

Yoo was a running influencer, who often shared achievements and training snapshots under her Instagram account, mta1n_0ne. In the days following her death, some runners took to social media to post “mourning run” photos.

One user showed a certificate of a 25km run finished in two hours and 29 minutes, alongside a memorial image of Yoo. “We will run the remaining 500 metres for you. May you rest in peace,” the post read.

Others also posted the distances and times of their own runs on social media, captioned with hashtags such as “mourning run” and “memorial run”, The Korea Herald reported.

The posts drew criticism from other users, who questioned the sincerity of acts. Some were doubtful that running was an appropriate way to grieve someone who died in a race.

“I don’t understand why you would post it on social media when you could just mourn quietly on your own,” one user commented under the post. Another likened it to “going to a shooting range to mourn victims of gun violence”.

However, some runners defended the practice, calling it “a runner’s way” of paying tribute.

When Memphis resident Eliza Fletcher was killed during her early morning run in 2022, 30 people in the US city held a memorial run in her honour, ABC News reported. Likewise, an annual community run has been held in Manchester since 2023 to honour Mike Dunne, a running enthusiast who died that year due to cancer, according to Wythenshawe FM.

South Korea has been experiencing a running boom, with more than 10 million people considering themselves regular runners, according to The Korea Times. With no special requirements for equipment and venues, the sport has attracted busy urban workers, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic lured people away from crowded indoor gyms to the outdoors.

The number of marathon events in South Korea has risen rapidly in recent years – increasing from 19 in 2020 to 49 in 2021, 142 in 2022 and 205 in 2023, the Asia Business Daily reported, citing data police submitted to the National Assembly last year. A total of 254 events were held in 2024, with more than 1 million participants.

In response to Yoo’s death, the Korean Medical Association urged the government to strengthen safety management for large-scale sporting events at a briefing on October 15, according to the Jeonnam Ilbo.

“The government must ensure that emergency medical preparations, such as the deployment of medical personnel and automated external defibrillators, are specifically included in the safety management plans for running competitions,” the association said.

It added that runners should stop running if they detected symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath, and ask for help.

“Those with heart disease, those who have experienced chest pain or fainting during exercise, or those with a family member who died suddenly at a young age should consult a doctor before participating in competitions,” the association urged.