Who is responsible for marathon road closures?
City marathons are approved and controlled on roads by regional police authorities, while city governments have the authority to approve the use of specific public venues as start and end points. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it is aware of the inconvenience caused by the increasing number of running events and is trying to minimize complaints by sending text message notices to residents about upcoming marathons and road closure plans. However, it added that there is only so much it can control, as it does not have the authority to approve or reject the events themselves. "We, too, wish the marathons wouldn't be hosted at the city center and instead at less-crowded areas like the riverside along the Han River. But so many runners want to experience running a marathon in the inner parts of the city," said Cha Jin-ju, head of the sports policy division under the city government's Tourism & Sports Bureau. "Hosts want it too because it rakes in more money. We rejected sponsoring some marathons that are held in the city center and instead advised them to host the events on the outski
