‘Mourning run’ or clout chase? South Korea divided over runner’s death tributes
Por SCMP’s Asia desk — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement South Korea This Week in Asia Health & Environment ‘Mourning run’ or clout chase? South Korea divided over runner’s death tributes
Runners have been posting their track records with hashtags commemorating South Korean running influencer Yoo Ji-won
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SCMP’s Asia desk Published: 3:50pm, 21 Oct 2026 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.
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