SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- A new international trail running festival, co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's key newswire, will launch in South Korea in December, organizers announced Wednesday.
The inaugural Yonhap Hanam International Trail Running Festival (YHITF) will take place on Dec. 12-13 in and around Hanam, some 20 kilometers east of Seoul, they said.
The event's organizing committee formally began work to prepare for the race following a launch ceremony Tuesday at Korea National Sport University in Seoul.
Participants, including Hwang Dae-il (4th from L), president and CEO of Yonhap News Agency, pose for a group photo during the launch ceremony for the organizing committee of the 2026 Yonhap Hanam International Trail Running Festival at Korea National Sport University in Seoul on Sept. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)
For the 2026 edition, South Korean Olympic marathon champion Hwang Young-jo directed the design of two trail running courses covering 15 km and 28 km. Runners will start at Misa Boat Race Park, an ecological and waterfront landmark in Hanam, and follow riverside paths before heading up Mount Geomdan, one of the city's best-known peaks, toward the Namhan Mountain Fortress. The fortress, also known as Namhansanseong, is a UNESCO World Heritage site that marks the 400th anniversary of its construction this year.
There are also two shorter courses covering 5 km and 10 km for beginners and runners participating with their family members. They were created on flat ground around the Misa Boat Race Park.
South Korean Olympic marathon champion Hwang Young-jo briefs participants on trail running courses for the 2026 Yonhap Hanam International Trail Running Festival during the launch ceremony for the event's organizing committee at Korea National Sport University in Seoul on Sept. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)
The organizing committee said it would soon open an official website and begin receiving applications from participants.
The event is co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, Korea National Sport University and the Hanam city government, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
About 200 people attended the launch ceremony, including Hwang Dae-il, president and CEO of Yonhap News Agency and co-chair of the organizing committee, along with local government and sports officials.
"With close cooperation among the three host organizations, this trail running festival will become a high-quality sporting event praised by runners not only in Korea but around the world," Hwang said in his congratulatory speech during the ceremony. "Yonhap News will do its best to provide extensive domestic and international coverage of the festival to help make it a lasting, memorable event for participants and audiences."
Hwang Dae-il, president and CEO of Yonhap News Agency, speaks during the launch ceremony for the organizing committee of the Yonhap Hanam International Trail Running Festival at Korea National Sport University in Seoul on Sept. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)