[Anchor]

With a recent surge in marathons held in downtown Seoul, police are struggling with traffic control while the Seoul Metropolitan Government grapples with a flood of civil complaints. As parts of roads are shut down, citizens bear the full brunt of the inconvenience, and the number of marathon events has jumped fivefold compared to four years ago.

Reporter Ha Jeong-yeon reports.

[Reporter]

Yesterday (October 5), during the National Foundation Day holiday weekend, three marathon events were held in areas including Yeouido, Mapo, and Gangnam in Seoul alone.

Because of these marathons drawing more than 10,000 participants, traffic in these areas has been continuously restricted.

We went out to hear from citizens firsthand.

[Ko Young-seo / Seoul Resident: Buses are being detoured, but older people often do not know about it. And because an entire half-block is being used entirely as changing rooms for the runners (due to road closures)...]

[Lee Mi-so / Seoul Resident: Not being able to get around easily was the most stressful part for me. It might be better if they held them less frequently.]

Last year, 95 marathons were held after applying to the Seoul Metropolitan Government for venue permits, surging more than fivefold compared to 2022, while the number of events requiring police traffic control rose from 7 to 28.

More than 1,000 complaints were filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Government last year alone, with citizens protesting that "Marathoners are not the only ones with the right to enjoy themselves" and "Some people have to work on weekends."

The number of police officers dispatched to marathons in downtown Seoul also jumped sharply, from 306 in 2021 to 2,712 last year.

Police only support traffic control for marathons that use the official sponsorship name of central government ministries or local governments. According to data obtained by SBS, 11 of the 14 downtown Seoul marathons held in the first half of this year were sponsored by central government ministries, prompting criticism that sponsorships are being granted indiscriminately.

Stating that it will discourage downtown races, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has reportedly sent official letters to several central government ministries asking them to consider restricting sponsorships, noting recent controversies surrounding ministry-sponsored races.

Police have also submitted opinions to the National Assembly stating that a legal basis is needed, citing concerns that excessive deployment of police personnel could create gaps in crime prevention and public safety.

[Jung Jun-ho / Member of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Democratic Party): People are now saying that citizen inconvenience has reached a tipping point due to traffic closures repeated every weekend.]

Observers also point out that it is worth examining overseas cases where event organizers are made to pay police overtime allowances for traffic control under the principle that the party responsible for causing the cost should bear it.

Video by Joo Yong-jin | Video Editing by Choi Hye-ran | Graphics by Kang Yoon-jung and Lee Ga-jin