Yoo Ji-won, a 25-year-old South Korean running influencer and KAIST graduate student researching artificial intelligence semiconductors, has died after collapsing just 500 metres from the finish line of a half-marathon in Seoul. Yoo lost consciousness at the 20.6-kilometre mark during the 2026 Seoul Race on Sunday, 11 October, according to organisers. She received emergency treatment at the scene and was taken by ambulance to a medical facility, where she later died.
Her death was confirmed by the Seoul Race Organising Committee on 12 October. The exact cause of her collapse and death has not been publicly disclosed, and organisers said the incident would be examined.
