The bereaved family of Ko Yu-jiwon, a running influencer who collapsed and died just about 500 meters before the finish line of a marathon, has begun searching for witnesses to figure out the circumstances of the accident.
Ko, who participated in the 2026 Seoul Race half marathon held in downtown Seoul on October 11, collapsed near the finish line and was rushed to the hospital, but ultimately passed away.
In connection with this, a post titled "The bereaved family of athlete Ko Yu-jiwon is looking for witnesses" was uploaded to the online community Ppomppu on October 31.
The author, introducing themselves as Ko's aunt, explained the purpose, saying, "We are looking for anyone who knows the situation at the scene near the finish line of the half marathon," adding, "We want to accurately check the circumstances of the accident at the time, as well as the emergency measures at the scene and the situation before and after the arrival of the ambulance."
She also mentioned, "We would appreciate it if anyone who directly witnessed the moment Ko collapsed, the on-site emergency measures, the arrival of the emergency response team, and the transport process, or anyone who has related photos or videos, would contact us."
The author wrote, "Even a small memory or trivial piece of information can be a very precious clue for our family," and added, "This is a request to confirm the exact facts of the accident, and the informant's identity and personal information will be carefully protected."
She also left an email address to receive tips.
Debates have been ongoing among netizens on the bulletin board regarding whether the response of the event organizers was appropriate concerning Ko's death.
Previously, immediately after the accident occurred, the organizing committee for the 2026 Seoul Race released an official statement saying, "After on-site emergency measures, she was transferred to a medical institution via a 119 ambulance for treatment, but tragically passed away," and "The organizing committee will closely examine related matters and follow up with necessary measures."
(Reported by Son Hyeong-an, Video Editing by Kim Min-ji, Design by Lee Su-min, Produced by SBS Digital News)
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