Korea Running
published on 23 December 2025
We’re in, what the media are calling, a Korean Wave.
A few years ago, it was rare to see people running on the streets of Seoul, but now it is one of the fastest-growing pastimes. So fast in fact, that there are so many marathons closing roads, it’s causing disruption to city life.
The korean running wave.
Jung Heum Cho is a key part of the running revolution. He is one of the founders of the Instagram account 9oo8ellow where he’s gained a cult following for documenting his running alongside two of his closest friends.
“The running scene in Korea right now is incredible,” he says. “Every weekend there are both big and small races happening across the country, and running has become a major cultural wave. The sport collaborates with so many different industries now — fashion, lifestyle, cafés, music, and even exhibitions. It’s much more than a sport at this point.”
9oo8ellow is at the crest of the wave of fashion-led runners sweeping across Seoul.
Running through the urban scenery of seoul.
Performance and style.
If you type “Korean running” into Instagram, you see head-to-toe fits, all-black looks, graphic over-sized tees, long-sleeves artfully layered over t-shirts, bandanas, and carefully selected jewellery.
Granted, if you go to Berlin or Paris, you’ll see crews styled just as tastefully but, from an outside perspective, it feels different in Korea. In most European cities, performance came first – fast times, international medals – followed by a wave of fashion. In Korea, it feels like fashion is the foundation.
For JungHeum and his crew, style is extremely important.
“Fashion isn’t just about looking good — it’s a tool for expressing who I am and even shaping my attitude for the day,” he explains.
“That applies to running as well. When I’m wearing an outfit I feel confident in, my feet feel lighter, and my mindset becomes sharper. Performance and style can definitely coexist, and I enjoy that.”
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Koreas superpower: being an underdog.
Part of the reason that Korean running hasn’t had the recognition it deserves, might be because it hasn’t hit the international performance heights of its neighbour Japan who routinely produce athletes capable of competing in the top-ten in the world in the marathon and half-marathon. But that might ultimately prove to be a superpower: In Korea, running doesn’t divide people by pace or speed, it connects people through community.
That rings true for the 9ood8ellow crew.
“Rather than chasing fast times, we enjoy the culture of running embedded in everyday life — going for a run and grabbing coffee afterward, discovering the city together, and documenting those moments through content.”
People find community in running.
Life is better when you run.
Seoul is a city that lends itself to running. Despite being one of the world’s biggest metropolises, it has an abundance of green spaces. In the centre of the city is Namsan Park where winding trails climb steeply up to Namsan Seoul Tower, and on the outskirts of the city is Bukhansan National Park. With its majestic peaks and hidden temples it feels worlds away from Seoul, but it actually sits within the city borders.
Like every global city, once rush hour starts, anyone out running will feel like they’re swimming upstream as the streets become a fast-moving river of commuters. But in the morning, as the sun starts to soften the edges of the night sky, it’s running that dictates the flow. Along the bank of the Han River, the central node of Seoul’s running scene, hundreds of runners make a daily pilgrimage.
The greenery of Soeul invites you for a run.
Seoul is one of the world's biggest metropolises.
Seouls lifeline: the Han River.
“It connects almost every part of the city, with long uninterrupted routes and wide-open views — making it a perfect place for long-distance training,” says Jung Heum. “Whether you live north or south, the river is always accessible, and that unifying landscape makes running in Seoul feel very special.”
It does seem that something special is blossoming on the streets and trails of Korea’s biggest city – a running revolution grounded in style not speed, in community not competition. We’d bet that it’s only a matter of time before K-running, and its unique blend of fashion and fellowship, joins K-beauty and K-fashion as the latest Korean phenomenon to be exported around the world.
CEP can be found in Seoul at:
A running revolution based on style not speed.
OUR STORY
CEP stands for high-quality sports equipment based on medical compression technology, specifically designed for runners. Since 2007, we have been combining decades of experience in medical technology with innovative design to help athletes achieve better performance, faster recovery times, and fewer injuries. Developed in Bayreuth by experts from science, technology, and sports – for everyone who wants to get the best out of themselves while running.
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