Running from Busan to Seoul

Participants of the Busan-Seoul relay marathon start the Busan-Milyang leg in front of Busan City Hall, Sunday. The week-long marathon, co-hosted by Hankook Ilbo, a sister company of The Korea Times, and the Korea Association of Athletics Federations, was first held in 1954 to mark the founding of the local daily. Some 300 participants from 17 provinces and cities will run 532.9 km through Daejeon, Cheonan, Seoul and finish their race in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on Nov. 22. Celebrating its 60th year, the event has launched the careers of some of the nation’s top marathoners, including the 1992 Olympic gold medalist Hwang Young-jo known as “hero of Montjuic”; and Lee Bong-ju, the silver medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok