Approximately 40,000 runners participated in the Seoul DongA Marathon on March 15. The race began on a Sunday morning at 5 a.m., starting from Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul and stretching to Jamsil Sports Complex in the city's southeastern Songpa District. The annual marathon was hosted by a major newspaper company together with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency approved the race and its path. Police took charge of traffic control during the race, deploying forces from Jongno District, Hyehwa-dong, Namdaemun Market, Jung District, Dongdaemun Market, Seongdong District, Gwangjin District, Songpa District and Suseo-dong. Traffic controls were imposed and lifted at different times to allow for the passage of runners through each area. Controls around the Jamsil section were lifted at 2:30 p.m., nearly 10 hours after the first were imposed at the start of the race. While the participants were running across the city to cheers from onlookers, others were complaining. The event caused massive traffic issues across the city as vehicles were forc